Summer Nights
by Rogue - Just one touch
Summary: Jazz, chocolate and hot summer nights are only the beginning as a romance ensues in a summer to remember. ROMY! Rated M for later. R&R plz, no flames. Full summary inside.
1. Jazz and Chocolate Cake

**Summary: **A year has gone by since the events surrounding Apocalypse, and Rogue has just finished high school. After graduation she decides to take a much needed vacation to decompress from her life. So after grad she takes a trip down south, and finds herself in the Big Easy, and bumps into a certain Cajun charmer. Jazz, chocolate and hot summer nights are only the beginning as a romance ensues in a summer to remember.

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish I did, I don't own any part of Marvel.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Jazz and Chocolate Cake<strong>

Rogue breathed in deep the small of the south. It rang with something in her heart that said home. New Orleans; she hadn't been here in a while, over a year ago, and the last time she had been here was an adventure; though if she admitted to herself, not entirely a bad one.

She wondered around the French Quarter, enjoying the feel of the heat of the summer. That was something she missed a lot back at the mansion, the feel of the lazy summer in the south. Just being here brought up images of lazy evenings on the porch with a pitcher of sweet tea.

She worked her way through the crowd streets. Like any other night in the Big Easy residents and tourists alike were out and about, and the closer to Bourbon st. the more people there was.

Over the years Rogue had gotten really good at avoiding people in crowds. So as she walked through the drunken rabble she kept one side up against the wall of the buildings with her large duffle bag over her other shoulder. For the most part she was fine; still at one point she had to avoid a group of drunken girls as they fell out of a doorway. One girl giggled hysterically as she lay on the ground.

Rogue rolled her eyes and stepped over the drunken girl who was blocking her path. _Stupid idiots._

She continued on her way till she came to a familiar little jazz club. She smiled to herself as she walked in, taking in the sights of the quint little place. It hadn't changed much in the last year; save maybe a few new chairs and tables that had been replaced as a result of a fight.

She found an empty booth at the back of the club that had a view of the entire floor; a force of habit that she had picked up from Logan, both the psyche in her head and the man himself.

Not long after she settled in as she was perusing the menu on the table a waitress came over to take her order.

"Can I get you anything Miss?"

"Umm." Rogue glanced at the menu. "Not sure. The kitchen's still open?"

"Oui Miss. The night menu is on the back. Can I get you anything to drink while you decide Miss?"

Rogue looked up at the waitress. "A café aux lait would be great sugar."

The waitress nodded and went off into the crowd to fetch her her drink.

Rogue had her head buried in the menu that the waitress had brought her with her café aux lait, trying to decide what off of the night menu she would have that she didn't notice a particular set of eyes on her.

She was trying to decide between one of the appetizers and a slice of triple chocolate moose cake when someone sat down opposite her at the table.

"Bonjour Chérie."

Her body visibly stiffened when she heard the velvety smoothness of his voice.

She slowly raised her head from the menu, her emerald eyes connecting with a set of eyes she would never forget and that she never thought she would see again. Beautiful rubies on midnight. She looked into the face of a once enemy, a man that had kidnapped her with good intentions and that she had left in the swamp over a year ago.

"Gambit." She quirked a brow at him.

"Please Chère" he placed a hand over his heart. "You wound me. Remy. You know it and I would much love to hear you say it."

She narrowed her eyes at him before leaning back in her chair.

"What are you doing here Swamp Rat?"

He grinned back at her with hooded eyes that made her feel worm and fussy. "Enjoying your radiant beauty Chère."

Rogue gave a rather unladylike snort. "Right."

Gambit just gave a shrug and went on looking at her.

Rogue took a long sip of her café before turning back to him. "Really, what are you doing here? Or better yet how did you know I was here?"

He leaned against the table and rested his head in his hand. "Un petit Lapin told me he saw a beautiful femme with green eyes like emeralds and a white streak of hair step off the train into the Big Easy."

Yet again Rogue raised a brow to him. "A rabbit told you?" _Okay he seems to finally have lost it._

He gave a small chuckle. "My cousin, Emil Lapin. We all call him Lapin; has way too much energy that boy. Always running all over the place…"

"Like the White Rabbit from _Alice in Wonderland_." She finished for him as the reference sank in. She chuckled along with him before she felt self-conscientious about being with him.

The waitress returned, this time with more spring in her step.

"Bonjour Remy" she said, her tone was now thick and sultry. She placed a glass tumbler with bourbon down on the table in front of him.

"Merci Danielle." Remy returned shooting the waitress a smile, to which Rogue rolled her eyes; the waitress didn't seem to notice this as she was blatantly flirting.

Gambit seemed to notice Rogue's tension and decided to smooth things over.

"Danielle, do me a favor. Can you bring my friend a slice of Jacque's famous chocolate moose cake with extra chocolate syrup, as well as a raspberry lemon drop."

The waitress nodded to the order Gambit had placed. "And for you Remy?" she asked sweetly.

He paused a moment before deciding. "Actually Danielle make it a large slice avec deux fourchettes." He said holding up two fingers.

The waitress looked between the two of them before nodding and going off to fetch said chocolate cake.

Rogue watched as the waitress gave a pout as she went off.

"Looks like you made her sad Swamp Rat." She pointed out. "Old girlfriend?"

Gambit just shrugged. "We went out a few years ago." He took a sip from his glass of bourbon.

Rogue quirked a brow. "Yeah. Okay." She went back to nursing her café.

"You don't seem surprised Chère."

Rogue looked at him. "Not really. Still have you rattling around in my head."

He grinned. "Keeping you company Chère?"

"Hardly" she said leaning back in her chair. "Your psyche is such a pain."

"Really?" he said leaning back in his own chair. "Don't believe you."

She looked at him and then looked away. His psyche was a pain; most of the times. Other times, he was there for her.

The voices in her head could get rather boisterous at times; so much so that it was debilitating at times. But since the last time she had absorbed Remy things weren't as bad. When she had headaches due to the psyches, his seemed to quite the others and to sooth her. He was comforting; when his psyche wasn't being a pain that is.

"Nope." She said looking back at him. "Just a pain."

Rogue was saved from a retort from him as the waitress returned with a thick cut of chocolate moose cake.

To say that it was a slice of cake was doing it an injustice; it was art. The thick slice of heaven was topped with a healthy amount of chocolate shavings and fresh raspberries. Chocolate syrup was also drizzled over the cake and artfully designed on the plate. Rogue's mouth was watering just looking at the chocolate confectionary.

Gambit picked up one of the forks and cut a small piece away, and proceeded to lean forward and presented her with the bite.

Rogue looked at him, the fork, and then back at him before quirking a brow. "Really?"

He smiled and ate the morsel from the fork he had presented.

"Was worth a shot."

She shook her head before proceeding to taking a bite of the cake before her. Immediately after placing the morsel in her mouth she let a moan of pleasure escape as the richness of the chocolate cake hit her senses. She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the flavors she tasted.

"C'est bonne, non?"

She opened her eyes to find him watching her. His gaze was intense, and sent little shocks through her system. A small predatory smile graced his lips.

She smiled shyly back at him. "Yes it is. Some of the best I've ever had."

"Bon."

They continued to share the slice of cake till there was nothing but a single morsel left.

Gambit speared the bite and once again held it out to Rogue.

"No I can't." she said holding her stomach.

He looked at her and grinned. "Really?"

She looked once again at the bite of cake before leaning over the table to take the fork in her mouth.

Like every other piece before it was heaven.

She sat back in her seat and looked at him across the table.

"Now that was hot." He said giving her a predatory look.

"Oh please. Bite me Swam Rat." She said rolling her eyes.

"Maybe later Chère." He said standing up.

Rogue rolled her eyes. This was nothing new for her. Well, new in the sense that it was Gambit himself making the comments, she had come to expect it from the voice in her head.

He came over to her and held out a hand. "Care for a dance Chère?"

She looked up at him. "Are you serious?" she asked quite surprised.

"Bien sur, why not?"

"Umm… For one thing, what the hell am I supposed to do with my stuff?" she said pointing to her duffle bag.

"We'll have Danielle put it in coat check with my coat. No one will bother it."

"And what of my other problem?" she said dryly.

"Don't see any problem."

"My powers idiot." She pointed out.

He looked down at her and fully took in what she was wearing.

"Different look Chère?" He let his eyes travel the length of her body; from her green tank top and opera glove clad arms to her daisy dukes, stockings, and boots. He could also make out the straps of a garter belt peeking out. He let his mind wander over that for a moment before turning a smile at her.

"It's summer Swamp Rat. In the south. Even I have to make some concessions so that I don't die of heat stroke."

"Still don't see a problem." He said as he pulled her up.

He might have heard her mutter something about 'death wish' as they made their way to the slightly crowded dance floor.

As he passed Danielle he asked her to take care of his and Rogue's things.

Once on the dance floor the band began to play a slow number of smooth cool jazz, Rogue recognized it as "The Moment" by Kenny G. He placed her hand on his shoulder before taking her other hand in his and placing his other hand on the small of her back. Her whole body stiffened as she became aware at how close they were.

"Shhh" he whispered in her ear. "Relax Chère. Nothings going to happen."

And she did. Maybe it had to do with how tired she was or the fact that he was holding her tenderly, but she did relax.

They swayed there on the floor, doing that common slow dance that everyone instinctively knew how to do.

Rogue eventually rested her head on his shoulder, her head facing away from him so as not to make skin contact. She was able to hear a chuckle run through his chest.

"Comfortable Chère?" he chuckled.

"Shut it Swamp Rat. I'm tired."

He said nothing else and continued to dance, resting his chin on her head, breathing in the floral sent of her shampoo.

"Your hair's gotten longer."

"Yeah" she replied. "Had a few run ins with Sabertooth. Damn hair kept growing out. Got tired of having to cut it between absorbing him and Logan whenever he healed me."

"Looks good on you."

"Thanks."

They swayed till the song finished, not really saying anything else.

"Want to get out of here Chère?" he asked as they made their way back to their table.

"Yeah, sure."

Remy left enough money on the table to cover the bill and a healthy tip before they retrieved their things from the coat check.

Rogue took a deep breath of air as they walked out back onto Bourbon st., Gambit lighting up a cigarette as they went along.

"Listen Gambit. It's been a long day."

He looked at his watch. "Il n'est même pas minuit!"

"I've spent the last thirty hours on a train, I'm just going to head in for the night."

He quirked a brow. "The train?"

Rogue sighed and gave a small smile. "Call it nostalgia."

He grinned but didn't push it. "Got a place to stay Chère?"

"I'm probably going to see if there are any rooms open over at Olivier's on Toulouse." She said as she adjusted the shoulder strap of her duffle bag.

"Quoi?" he said looking at her. "Non. Can't let you do that Chère. What kind of gentlemen would I be if I let you do that?"

"Gentleman?"

"Oui." He said with a smile.

She just proceeded to stare at him.

"Bien, consider it a sort of payback for bringing you to New Orleans last time."

She looked at him for a moment.

"This way you wont have to share a room with a bunch of people you don't know."

"No, instead it'll be just you." She said pointing a finger at him.

He just gave her a rakish smile.

She gave a sigh, weighing her options. _I'm probably going to regret this. _"You promise no funny business Swamp Rat?"

He gave her a huge smile and proceeded to take her duffle bag and shoulder it.

"Won't do anything to make you want to kill me." He replied. "Good enough?"

She gave a big sigh. "Probably the best I'm going to get."

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>  
><span>French Translation<span>

Bonjour – Hello

Chérie, Chère – Deary, Dear

Un petit Lapin – A little rabbit

Merci – Thanks, Thank you

avec deux fourchettes – with two forks

C'est bonne, non? – It's good isn't it?

Bien sur – Of course

Il n'est même pas minuit! – It's not even midnight!

Quoi? – What?

Non – No

Oui – Yes

Bein - Well (French colloquialisms that is pronounced in this context as bien)


	2. A Queen of Film Noir

**Author's Notes:**

I just want to thank everyone who read/reviewed/added to their favorites.

I'm going to tray and post these once a week on Thursday if it's possible, it depends on how busy it is at work. Chapter three is written, and chapter four is about half way there. So keep reading and enjoy the story.

**Chapter 2: A Queen of Film Noir**

They walked east along Bourbon st. through the milling crowds who traveled between the bars and clubs. Rogue felt the press of the bodies around her. She stopped suddenly.

"I can't do this." She said turning to him. "Give me your coat."

"Cold Chère?" he said pulling his coat off.

"Hardly. It's like ninety degrees out." She said taking it from him. "Sooner or later one of these people are going to bump into me and I really don't feel like having a drunk person floating around in my head."

The trench coat was really way to big on her, the sleeves falling past her fingers. And though it was sweltering out, his coat felt comforting. She pushed her hands into the pockets and continued to follow him through the crowd.

Continuing east they left the busy area and turned up to Dauphine st.. Eventually they came to a three-story building.

"You live here?" she asked looking up at the old antebellum style building.

"Oui." He replied unlocking the wrought iron gate that led to the courtyard. Together they climbed the stairs to the third floor where he opened the door to his apartment.

The apartment was an even mixing of antique and contemporary. Homey, yet still looked like it could be featured in home-style magazine.

"Make yourself at home Chère." He said closing the door behind them.

They walked into a large open concept room that contained the living room, dinning area and kitchen.

Gambit placed her bag down beside the loveseat. Rogue laid Gambit's coat on the back of the seat before looking around the room. There was a painting of woman with her back turned, red cloth pooling around her waist as she sat. "This is beautiful."

"It's a Slavinsky. Would you like a glass of wine Chère?" he asked from the kitchen.

"Sure." Rogue replied not taking her eyes off of the painting she was examining.

"Red or White?"

"What are we having with it?"

"Whatever you want Chère."

She pondered it a moment. She hadn't really eaten much today aside from the cake. Then again it was late. "Just a glass of red. The sugar from that cake is going to probably keep me up for a bit." She said to him before turning back to the painting.

He appeared shortly after at her side and presented her with a glass of pinot noir.

"It's not real." He said taking a sip from his own glass.

"Really?" she said turning towards him.

"Oui. A really good forgery." He said turning towards her. "The real one is hanging in a hallway at my family's house."

"Ah well." She said with a chuckle.

She wondered the room. Though slightly eclectic in style, the mesh of classic and contemporary worked well in the space.

"Did you decorate?" she asked running her hand along an antique cabinet that was behind the sofa.

"I'd be lying if I said it was all me." He smiled a he sat down on said sofa. "But it's actually the designer that also does the guild hall. They asked what I wanted and this is what they came up with."

"And this one?" she asked pointing out a painting of another woman. This one was an oil painting of a woman in front of a stained glass window.

"_Midsummer Night's Dream _by Juan Medina" he said turning to look at her.

"She's beautiful." Rogue said looking at the woman in the painting.

"Oui. She is." Remy said looking at a different woman, Rogue didn't notice since she was facing away from him.

"Another forgery?" she asked turning towards him.

He smiled. "Non, she's real."

She just smiled and came to sit down at the opposite end of the sofa from him. Setting down her wine glass on the coffee table she began to remove her boots. Once she was done she curled up into the corner, resting her feet on the cushion in between them. Gambit sat with one foot on the sofa the other dangling on the floor, socks and boots long forgotten.

For the first time Rogue actually took in Gambit's appearance. He wore well fitting jeans and a black t-shirt over his lean muscular body. His hair was long-ish, a nice length; well kept and not shaggy. She wanted to run her fingers though it to see if it was as soft as it looked.

"You look beautiful Chère." He said taking a sip from his glass.

Rogue blushed and lowered her eyes. "Thanks."

"You changed your look a bit, not so dark." He pointed out. "Looks good on you."

This was one of the things she had changed over the course of the last year. She still dressed in slightly gothic clothing at times, but her make-up had become less severe. Instead of thick black and purple eye shadow she now did a smokier look that made her green eyes pop in brilliance. Her once corps black lips now were deep blood red. Along with her now long hair that fell mid back she still had pale white skin, but instead of looking like a goth she now looked like a femme fatale from old film noir movies. Very Rita Hayworth and Laura Bacall, even a little Veronica Lake Remy's psyche had said on occasion.

It was because of his voice in her head that she had made the change. Influencing her in subtle ways, while shopping for clothes or make-up, or even how she did her hair. Who knew that the thief knew women's fashion? _You look good in anything Chère. Dark and sexy as a goth, or sexy and mystérieux comme les dames dans des vieux film noir. _A compliment was a compliment, even if it came from the voices in her head. Then again, she usually had to shut him up when it came to the lingerie department. There was only so much she would listen too.

"You look more…" he tried to find the word.

"Film noir?"

"Oui." He said. "Une vraie femme fatale." He said bringing the cigarette that he had been nursing to his lips and took a drag.

Rogue lowered her eyes and gave him a small smile, the very definition of coy.

"Mais, you've already heard that."

"Yes," she said looking at him again. "…from you." She trailed her fingers around her temple to convey her meaning.

"Figures." He said with a small laugh. "All mention of your beauty aside Chère, what brings you back to the Big Easy?"

"Vacation."

"I see that."

"I graduated four days ago."

"Felicitations. Still doesn't explain things."

Rogue took another sip of her wine. "Didn't get to see much of the city last time I was down."

"Désolé Chérie. Ca c'est mas faute."

"S'alright, I had fun saving your ass."

He smiled a cheshire grin. "Been looking at my ass Chère?"

She just rolled her eyes and continued, not dignifying his question with a response. "Been saving for a while now. Told myself that once I was finished high school I was going to take some time off from everything, including the X-Men for the summer and just have some me time. I figured I'd travel till my funds ran out." She took another sip of wine. "I figured I'd get about two weeks out of it after travel expenses, room and board and anything else I feel like doing."

"And how does monsieur claws feel about this?"

"He can feel anyway he likes. I wanted, no, needed this vacation and he didn't get a say, aside from the mandatory texts daily. Which reminds me."

She leaned over and pulled out her iPhone from her bag and quickly rattled off a text.

_'Made it to New Orleans safely. Found a place to stay. Turning in for the night. Talk to you later.'_

After Rogue returned her iPhone back into her bag, she let escape a long yawn.

"Sorry! Guess the sugar is wearing off and the wine is kicking in. What time is it?" she asked cradling her wine glass.

"About 1:30am." He replied looking at his watch. "Guess it's time to get you to bed."

Standing up she downed the little bit that was left in the glass. She held her hand out for his, to which he did the same before handing it to her. She walked into the open kitchen and quickly rinsed them out in the sink.

"So where is the guest room?"

Smiling he stood up. "Don't have a guest room Chère. Only guests I bring home for the night tend to share my bed." He looked at with a very suggestive stare.

"So where exactly am I going to sleep?"

His smile just grew, taking on a cheshire quality. "In my bed."

"Gambit…" she said dangerously.

"Easy Chère." He gave a small laugh. "The bedroom is yours, I'm going to sleep on the couch."

"What?" she looked at him surprised. "No I can't let you do that. It's your bed you should sleep in it. I'm more then fine with the couch."

"Chère." He gave her a look that said 'really?' "What did I say before about me being a gentleman? Besides, as you said, you just spent the past thirty hours on a train, those sleeper cars can't be as comfortable as 700 thread count silk sheets and down pillows."

Rogue gave a sigh thinking about it.

"I'm not going to win this battle am I?"

He picked up her bag in one hand and took her gloved hand in the other, leading her towards the bedroom door that faced the couch with a smile. "No your not."

Opening the door he flicked on the light to reveal a spacious master bedroom. In the center of the room on the opposite wall was a king size four-poster bed.

Rogues mind brought up a quick succession of memories that were not hers; memories of things that made here blush rather deeply. Normally she would say that a four-poster bed was a bit girly; kind of princess in effect, but now, Remy's bed, there was nothing girly about it. The bed was topped with well-appointed bed linens. The bedspread was a nice charcoal that matched the ebony wood of the bed frame, and if the pillows matched the sheets they were a deep burgundy. Images of what two people could do in a four-poster bed flitted around in her mind.

"Rogue?"

"Sorry?" she said turning towards him. He raised a brow.

"Sorry. Must have zoned out there for a moment." She said.

He had a small smile on his face that seemed to lend its self to mean that he know what was going through her head.

"As I was saying. The washroom is through there." He pointed to a room off to the right. "But if you don't mind, I'm going to pop in for a quick shower. Been out and about doing…work."

She rolled her eyes. "Go on. I'll get settled in."

And so she did. She retrieved her boots from the living room and got changed.

Well, changed it the operative word. She hadn't planned on sharing a house with someone on her trip, she planned on having a private room, and so she hadn't planned on packing any sleeping clothes.

She stripped off all of her clothes and changed into a new tanks top and a pair of cotton and lace panties.

After turning down the bed she grabbed one of the books that she had packed and crawled on top of the sheets.

They were soft and cool on her skin and felt so good. She was enjoying the feel of the silk against her skin while reading her book that she didn't notes that the shower had shut off. She did notice the door open though.

Gambit came out of the bathroom wearing only his jeans, slung low on his hips. He took one look at her laying on the bed in only a black tank and matching underwear and let out a low whistle.

Lowering her book she turned to see him leaning against the washroom doorjamb.

"Now that has to be the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my bed."

Rogue rolled her eyes and went back to her book. She heard him busy himself retrieving something from the closet before she heard him sit on the other side of the bed.

She turned her head to find him leaning against his side, head propped in his hand.

"Yes?"

"You're hot Chère?"

It took her a second to realize it was a question and not a statement.

"I didn't pack my night clothes if that's what you're asking."

"Nah. Just enjoying the view."

She shook her head and flipped him off before turning back to her book.

"What are you reading Chère?"

"Raymond Chandler's '_Playback_'."

"Any good?"

"Not bad. '_The Big Sleep_' was better." She placed her marker in the spot she was reading. She placed the book on the bed and rolled over to face him.

"I'm sorry for last time." He said; his face was sincere.

She smiled. "I know." She opened her book again and pulled out her place marker. She handed him the same card that he had given to her a year ago in the swamps near Blood Moon bayou.

"You kept it?"

"Course." She answered.

He looked at the slightly worn Queen of Hearts, running his fingers over it.

"Why?"

"Because you gave it to me. I know how much she means to you." She gave him a sweet smile. "And because it reminds me of how I saved your ass."

"So you have been checking out my ass Chère. " he smiled his usual cheeky smile at her.

Rogue just rolled her eyes and stuck out her tonged at him; to which he just chuckled and stood up.

"You should get some rest Rogue, you've had a long day."

He went over to the french doors that led out onto the balcony that faced the courtyard. "Do you want this open Chère?"

"Sure, the breeze will feel nice." She said standing up and walking into the bathroom with her toiletry bag.

She returned shortly after doing her nightly routine to find that the mosquito netting that hung from the four-poster bed was hanging loose, enclosing the bed. Gambit, she found was standing on the balcony, leaning against the railing smoking another cigarette.

She plucked the cigarette from his fingers, making sure not to touch him with her bare hands and took a drag from it.

"Didn't know you smoked Chère." He said watching her.

She let the smoke escape her lips slowly. "I don't. It's a filthy habit. I get cravings every once in a while because of you and Logan." She handed him back the cigarette.

He ducked his head in mock shame, still all the while a smirk on his face. "Désolé Chérie, I'll stop if smoking around you if you want."

"Nah. Doesn't effect me in the least." She said turning around and leaning her elbows on the wrought iron railing. "Beside, I like the aroma of the mix of tobacco and spices on you. This is the sleep depravation talking so I'll deny it if you say anything."

He chuckled and nodded his head at that.

"It's too bad Cajan."

"Comment?"

"It's too bad you were working for Magneto when we first met. Your almost fun to be around when your not being annoying." She said with a mischievous grin on her face walking back into the room.

He crushed the stub of the cigarette in an ashtray he kept outside the door on the balcony before walking back in. "Well I guess I'll have to redeem myself somehow and make it up to you right Chère."

"Yep."

She climbed into the bed and redrew the netting around the bed.

He walked over to the door and flicked off the light switch.

"Bonne nuit Chère." He said as he closed over the door.

She snuggled into the push pillow, drawing the sheet over her lower legs. "Good night Remy."

Gambit was woken out of a dead sleep by the sound of a blood-curdling scream.

Before his mind could even react he was on his feet, a charged card in his hand as he pushed open the door to his bedroom.

He immediately removed the charge when he saw Rogue sitting up in bed, her head resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs."

"Chère?"

"I'm sorry Remy." She said raising her head and brushing away some tiers. "I'm okay. Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

He looked at her sitting on the bed through the netting. She looked very small at that moment, nothing more then a frightened girl. The tough ball buster Rogue with an attitude was nowhere in sight.

He walked over to his closet and pulled out one of his dress shirts.

Rogue didn't notice him until he crawled onto the bed beside her and wrapped the shirt over her shoulders.

He pulled her into a hug and she let him.

"Want to talk about it?"

She gave a deep sigh that wracked her body in a shudder. "Just a nightmare."

"About?"

"It's the peoples memories I absorbed. They tend to surface easier when I'm asleep."

He ran his hands up and down her arms slowly, fighting away the chill that had seeped into her skin. "Qui était-il?"

"Logan's" She sighed. "They're usually his; of when they tested on him; laced his bones with adamantium."

Tears ran slowly down her cheeks. "It hurts Remy. I feel it, and it hurts so much." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, another shudder running through her body as she remembered the feeling of her bones being on fire.

"It's okay Cherie. It's not real." He hugged her tighter.

She sighed again with more assurance before lifting her head off of his shoulders.

She gave a weak smile and ducked her head. "Jeeze I'm sorry. You must think I'm a mess" She pulled her arms through the sleeves of his shirt and fiddled with the buttons aimlessly. She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Nah Chère. You're still the same Rogue to me." He said with a grin.

Rogue gave a short laugh. "Sorry you had to see me like that."

"De rein Chère." He said standing back up. He walked to the washroom and returned with a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Thanks."

He watched her sitting there for a moment as she drank the water down. A guy seeing a woman wearing his shirt always filled him with some pride. Rogue looked good in his.

Finishing the glass she placed it on the nightstand.

"You good Chère?"

"Yeah. I should be fine now."

"Bon."

She rolled back over onto her side facing away from him, curling up in his shirt.

"Remy?"

"Oui Chère?"

"Stay with me for a bit… Please."

He sat back down on the bed and made himself comfortable.

"Oui Chère. I'll stay with you till you fall back asleep."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>  
><span>French Translation<span>

Une vraie femme fatale – A real femme fatale

Mais – But

Désolé Chérie. Ca c'est mas faute – Sorry dear. That was my fault.

Monsieur – mister

Désolé – Sorry

Bonne nuit – Goodnight

Qui était-il ? – Who's is it?

De rein – It's nothing

Bon - Good


	3. Good Morning Sunshine

**Author's Notes**

Hey everyone, hope you all had a good week; I know I have. As a result my life is a bit busier. I got a new contract job with some better hours, but as a result I don't have as much free time during the day to work on my writing. I'm still going to keep trying to post once a week but especially in the next few week it might not be possible. I'm going to be taking a vacation at the end of the month to New York, and wont have time to work on the story while I'm there. I plan on having too much fun. So please bear with me if my posts become a bit erratic. Chapter four is nearly done, and I hope to start number five this weekend.

Once again I'd like to thank everyone who read/reviewed/added to their favourites.

Totally random, go enjoy a glass of Bottega moscato Petalo Il Vino dell'Amore mousseux (if you are of legal drinking age). I highly recommend it, especially with fruit; fresh raspberries in the glass are my favourite.

Enjoy the chapter (and the wine) and let me know what you think. I'm off to bed, and to the movies tomorrow evening. I hope your weekends are as fun as mine.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Good Morning Sunshine<strong>

A light breeze fluttered the curtains by the open french doors, as well as the netting around the bed. The sun shone down into the courtyard and set the room aglow.

Rogue sighed contently, half roused from her dreams. After her episode the night before she had slept soundly; not another nightmare the whole night. One of the best night's she had in a long time.

Not wanting to spoil the feeling she kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the feel of the cool sheets and the warmth of the bed. Morning like these were in short supply back at the mansion, and she had every intention of enjoying every moment of it.

Rogue was never really a morning person; she much preferred to languish in bed as long as possible. Unfortunately morning training sessions have severely put a dampener in that regard. She was used to the early morning training sessions to the point that she was in a habit of waking up at that early hour. When it had happened this morning she had smiled to herself and rolled back over and fell back to sleep once again enjoying the fact that she could.

She flexed her hand and immediately froze. Beneath her palm she felt something firm, velvety soft and warm; very much not the silk sheets that were wrapped around her body. Her eyes flew open and she took in her surroundings.

There was a body under her, a warm muscular body with sculpted abs.

_Shit, shit, SHIT!_

She lifted her head and found that she had been asleep half pressed onto Gambit's chest. His eyes were closed and he was very still.

_Oh no! NO!_

"Remy!" she said sitting up in a half panicked voice.

He didn't stir. _No, NO!_

"Remy!" she said again and shook him a bit.

And then he stirred; the arm that had been slung over her hip flexed and drew her closer.

"Çine minut." He mumbled groggily.

She let out a deep sigh of relief, he was alive.

_HOW!_ Her hand was on his bare chest and yet she felt nothing. Well not nothing, she felt him, the hard smoothness of his skin; but that was it. No pull, no energy being ripped away from him.

"Remy! Remy wake up!" she said shacking him again this time till he opened his eyes.

They were drowsy and confused, still half asleep. It took him a moment to take in his surroundings. He woke up to Rogue's emerald eyes staring at him. She was beautiful in his mind. Her sleep- tousled hair framed her face, and her plump lips were slightly parted. If he could wake up like this everyday he would. And then something ticked in his sleep-muddled brain. He felt her hand on his chest. It was slender and slightly cool. And oh so soft.

She stared back at him in wonder.

He sat up slowly till they were facing each other. Neither of them was saying a word as if to not break whatever spell was taking place.

Her eyes darted between his face and her hand on his chest. Her mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure out how this was possible. How he wasn't dead.

A small part of her didn't care. She could touch. With that thought a tear slid own her cheek.

Gambit raised a hand and brushed it way with the pad of his thumb, cradling her cheek in his callused hand. She gave a deep sigh and leaned into his hand, letting her eyes drift shut as she took in the sensation of if his palm. Tears fell unabashed.

"Shhhh. Don't cry Chère." He said drawing her to him.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. Normally she would have probably slapped him for trying something like this, but now she didn't really care. She let her hand trail along his chest and abs. It had been so long since she had felt someone's skin without a barrier between them.

Rogue wouldn't admit it, but she had dreamt of moments like this since she had first encountered the Cajun in the shipyard. She didn't have dreams about men often, but so far Remy was surpassing them. His skin was velvety soft. Every once in a while her fingers would brush against a smooth scar. She wouldn't say that they marred his skin, but rather gave it character.

She always knew he worked out. But his body was in great shape; better shape then the majority of the guys in the mansion.

As she trailed her fingers over his chest and abs the muscles jumped at her feather light touch. It was hard to describe what they were both feeling. For Rogue she was trying to commit the sensation to memory; while for Gambit, having Rogue in his arms like this was something that only happened in his dreams.

He ran his hands down her arms, still clothed in his shirt. He had dreamed of what her skin would feel like for a while now. He slowly pulled the shirt down one of her arms and lightly ran his fingers along her pale flesh.

Rogue sighed and her hand stilled as Remy traced gentle circles up and down her arm. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched his hand and fingers.

She ran her hand up his arm and traced his collarbone in somewhat of a trance, enjoying the feel of his skin bellow her fingertips. She ran them along his jaw and felt the friction of stubble. She threaded her fingertips in his goatee and when she went to touch the soul patch, her fingers touched his lips. She was about to draw them back when he kissed them.

To say that she was stunned was an understatement. Her shock continued as he ran his hand up cradle hers and began to kiss her palm. She let out a small gasp as he kissed the sensitive part of her wrist.

He smiled down at her as she leaned back into the bedding as he kissed his way up her arm. Rogue's eyes closed as she let a smile cross her lips. A small gasp escaped her lips as he kissed the hollow of her throat.

When she opened her eyes she found him leaning over her, his eyes hooded as he stared back at her. It happened in an instant, she raised her head as he was lowering his and their lips met.

It was a sweet and tender kiss. And then it exploded into a deep soul-searing kiss.

Rogue wrapped her arms up around his neck and buried her hands in his hair. It had grown out since last year and was at that perfect length; a little long, and so soft between her fingers.

Remy ran his hand down her side, tracing his finger along her ribcage and down her leg, which she immediately wrapped around one of his.

At one point he moved from her lips to her neck and Rogue thought she was going to go insane.

"Oh God!" she gasped. She was in heaven.

She raked her fingernails down his back and got a groan that bordered on a growl out of the Cajun. She smiled to herself at the satisfaction that it brought her.

They were so busy exploring each other that they didn't hear the door to the apartment open and close.

"Remy? You home?... Jesus!"

A blond woman was standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

"Merde Remy. Leave some clothes on the floor so I know you're busy."

He let out a groan.

"Mercy! Seriously? Not the time."

He was about to go back to his ministration when Rogue grabbed a pillow a smacked him across the head with it.

"Get off me Swamp Rat!"

She scrambled out from underneath him, straitening the shoulder straps of her tank top.

"Well sorry to interrupt your morning, but Jean-Luc… wait. Swamp Rat?" The blond looked from Rogue to Gambit, then back to Rogue. She pointed a finger at the flustered southern belle. "Rogue?"

Rogue turned and looked at the petite blond. "Yes?" she answered shakily.

There was a pause and then the blond let out a delighted shriek that could easily rival those that Kitty let loose at a sale in the mall.

"Oh my God! It is you!" she came into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. "Emil mentioned that he saw a woman matching your description, and this one goes running off." She smiled at the clearly bewildered girl.

"Oh but where are my manners. Je suis Mercy." The petit blond held out her hand, and the realized that Rogue was not wearing much. She got a quizzical look and her finger flicked between the two bedmates.

She didn't get to contemplate this long as Gambit finally piped up. "Mercy? What are you doing here? I'm a little busy." He wrapped his arm around Rogue's waist and tried to draw her back. Rogue on the other hand was not having any of it and smacked him hard on the arm before shoving him over back into the comforter.

"Seriously Swamp Rat?" she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Since apparently Remy is not getting any love and sympathy here, I ask; que faites-vous ici Mercy?" he sighed dejectedly.

"Bonjour à vous aussi petit frère. Sorry to disturb your little tête-à-tête, mais…" she pulled a manila envelope out of her bag. "Jean-Luc sends this and says to gather a team. He wants this done as soon as possible."

Opening the envelope he examined some of the contents.

Rogue gave a quick glance to the technical documents.

"Well, while you do that, I'm going to get washed and changed."

Remy watched as Rogue gather up her duffle bag and closed the door to the bathroom. He was still lying amid the comforter, and his eyes followed her curves as she walked. He let out somewhat of a pained sigh as the door finally closed. To which his sister-in-law began to giggle.

He rolled his head back to look at her.

"Oh Remy. You have it bad." She was smiling ear to ear.

Not acknowledging his sister-in-law he rolled off the bed. "I'm going to need coffee if I'm going to be looking at these."

Mercy just continued to smile as she followed him into the kitchen. She sat down on one of the high counter chairs and watched as he started to make a pot of coffee.

"So… Care to let me in on the secret?" she asked picking an apple from the bowl on the counter.

"Pardon?"

"Rogue." She said pointing to the bedroom. "If I remember correctly you said she can't touch people without hurting them. Want to let me know how you're not in a comma at the moment?"

He paused a moment and leaned on the counter. "Je ne sais pas."

She just looked at him. "Did she get control?"

He pondered a moment and shook his head. "Non. I don't think so. She still dresses to cover up and is very self-conscious about her skin. Je doute that she would if she had." He reached over and pulled three mugs out of the cupboard. "Control is the one thing in the world she wants the most."

Mercy got pensive and nodded slowly at this. "L'observation prudente sur votre partie I take it from your time spent in Bayville." She said with a pointing look.

He shot her a look back before pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"It doesn't take reconnaissance work for a maniac like Magneto for anyone to see how much her mutation l'effet."

"Good. Coffee."

He poured her a cup and slid it down the counter to her.

She sipped it and contemplated a while before speaking. "Je sais ceci déjà, mais, you do care about her don't you."

He shot her a scathing look over his mug at her comment.

"Because this is not one of those moments when you can take advantage of someone Remy. Even I can see she's a fragile girl."

"Mercy, I'm not an idiot. And no I would never hurt her. Je sais Rogue is special. There are times je sais when I can be a total cad with women, mais Rogue is not a women to be treated like every other woman I've met in a bar. For one thing if I ever did anything to ever to hurt her she would more then likely kill me out right; I would be more afraid of her then her father figure Wolverine. That aside I'd never forgive myself if I caused that woman any sort of pain."

"Good." She said with a smile over the top of her coffee mug. "Just making sure your head is on strait."

Rogue reappeared at that moment from the bedroom wearing yet again a pair of short shorts over black sheer stocking. She sported a black t-shirt with a matching pair of opera cloves. "My ears are burning; people must be talking about me."

"Désolé Chère."

"Coffee." Rogue demanded coming and leaning against the kitchen counter.

He poured her a mug and added copious amounts of sugar and cream to her cup.

Taking the cup in both hands she drank down the life-rejuvenating brew and smiled at the fact that it was exactly how she liked to take it. "I'm not even going to ask how you know how I like my coffee. But let me remind you that being a stalker is not cool Gambit."

"Désolé Chère, habit of the job." He smiled unashamed.

Mercy snorted at that. "Yeah okay, how do her teammates take their coffee?"

He just shot her a rueful look.

"Awe, see, he's sweet on you hon."

Rogue ignored Mercy's teasing of Remy and smiled at him over the rim of her cup shyly. He returned it with a smile of his own. The moment was cut short unfortunately.

"So Rogue, when did you get control of your powers?"

"Mercy!" Remy said in slight horror.

"What? I'm just asking the question that's floating in the room at the moment."

"Tact." He said looking slightly mortified at her bluntness. "Je jure I don't know who is worse, you or Henri."

"It's okay Remy" Rogue said putting down her mug. "I don't have control of my powers." She looked down at her gloved hands.

Mercy looked at her with genuine concern. "Then how…" she trailed of and pointed towards Remy where he leaned against the counter.

"I have no idea."

There was a long moment of silence in the apartment.

"Is it possible that you gained it in your sleep?"

Rogue looked up and looked at Remy across the counter. "It's possible. The Professor believes my mutation is controlled in my mind. It might be a subconscious thing; but then again, my mutation has kicked in even when I wasn't conscious."

Mercy propped her head in her hand and gave Rogue a contemplative look.

"Touch me."

"Excuse me?"

"Quoi?"

Mercy sat up strait and gave Rogue a very serious look. "Touch me. Touch my skin."

Rogue got a panicked look. "No. No I can't do that."

"Mercy…" Remy walked around and stood beside the two girls.

"Look, the only way we are going to know if your powers are still working Rogue is to test them. And seeing as you were able to touch him earlier it's one of you two who is the cause of this."

Rogue shook her head. "I am not going to hurt you Mercy. Ask him, my mutation hurts." She pointed to Remy. "I literally suck the life out of people."

"Yeah, and at the moment I'm willing to do this so you can get answers."

Rogue paced the room, running her hands through her hair. She did want answers. The entire time she had been changing she had been wracking her brain for an answer as to how this was possible.

"Mercy, you have to understand that it hurts like hell, and that it's not just your energy I'm taking when I touch people. But I get their memories as well. I would be stealing thoughts out of your head."

"Fine. I consent."

"Mercy, no. You don't have to do this." He looked at Rogue. "We'll call your Doctor McCoy."

Rogue shook her head with a serious expression. "No. If I do that I'll have to go back to the mansion. I am not ending my vacation over this."

Mercy stood up. "Then it's settled."

Rogue looked at the petite blond. She had an expression that she had seen on Kitty's face several times when her best friend was determined to do something. She stared at her a moment longer.

"Fine."

Remy looked at Rogue.

"But if we're going to do this you're going to be sitting."

Mercy sat herself down on the couch and looked up at Rogue as she removed one of her gloves.

"Okay. I want you to think of one thing; something that I would have no way of knowing. This worked once with Kitty."

Mercy nodded and held out her hand.

Rogue took a moment to steady herself. She so hoped that this worked. She hoped that her powers didn't kick in.

She reached out and touched a finger to Mercy's outstretched hand.

Her mutation kicked in immediately and she pulled her hand back sharply at the sound of Mercy's startled cry.

Rogue fell over in her heist to get away from Mercy. "I'm sorry."

She clinched her fist, and closed her eyes. The little bit of hope that she had vanished as it became apparent that her mutation was very much working.

Mercy took a deep breath and shook her head to clear it. "S'ok. I'm fine." She blinked a few times. "Merde you weren't kidding, it felt like everything in me was being pulled out of me."

Rogue looked totally crestfallen. "I'm so sorry Mercy."

Remy kneeled down beside Rogue and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It's okay." Mercy stood up, her legs shaking for a moment before she sat down and rested a hand on Rogue's knee. "I'm fine, see."

Rogue peeked out from under her hair to see a smiling Mercy.

"Chocolate chip cookies and honey." Rogue said with a small smile. "Your husband Henry likes to eat chocolate chip cookies dipped in honey when he gets back from a successful job."

Both Remy and his sister-in-law started laughing at the memory she had just pulled.

"Oui, yes he does." She laughed.

"Sacrilege to chocolate chip cookies." Remy laughed. "They should only be dipped in milk or coffee."

"Or more chocolate." Rogue laughed.

It took them a moment to stop laughing.

"Okay, okay." Mercy said finally gaining her composure. "Just to make sure you should touch Remy again."

Rogue gave a small bark of a laugh. "And if it was a fluke I get to have more of your thoughts in my head."

"Mais, it's not necessarily a bad thing Chère." He smiled down at her.

Rogue shook her head and tentatively reached out and placed her had in his.

There was nothing, just the feel of his slightly calloused hand. No pull, no memory, nothing.

He wrapped his fingers tightly around hers and helped her to her feet. He looked at her with an endearing smile, and ran is thumb in small circles over the back of her hand.

"Well that answers that." Mercy said matter-of-factly. "You're the broken one Remy."

"Oy. I resent that." He said. "Apparently I'm doing something right."

"Or your mutation is." Rogue said with a slightly puzzled look.

"Chère?"

"Shush a second." Still holding onto his hand she closed her eyes and focused on the feel of his hand. It took her a moment but she could feel it, a slow hum along her hand where it was touching his. It almost felt like a very low current. Kind of like when you would touch a plasma ball.

"My powers are working."

She dropped his hand and looked around the room. She turned and looked at him and reached her arms around him.

She pressed her body against his.

"Chère?"

She reached her hands around to his butt and pulled out the pack of playing cards that was in his back pocket. Extracting a card from the deck she held it in front of her and watched as she used his powers to charge the card with kinetic energy.

"Well it seems I'm only pulling energy off of you." She said as she extinguished the card. "Your mutation seems to be protecting you."

"That makes sense." Mercy said. "Remy didn't you say that your powers seemed to have grown in the past few months?"

"Oui."

"Must have something to do with that then." Mercy said walking over to the kitchen counter and picked up her coffee.

"It's a possible explanation. Won't know unless we have tests run." She took a sip of her coffee; she smiled darkly. "Want me to still call Hank Sugar? Care to take a trip to the Med Bay?"

Gambit shuddered and shot her a look of mock petulance.

"You Chère, are an evil woman." He said over his coffee.

Rogue giggled evilly poking fun at him. "Yes I am. Don't worry Sugar, not going to put you through that; I know you're not a fan of hospitals."

"Understatement." Mercy piped in between sips of coffee.

They sat there around the kitchen counter enjoying their coffee, while Gambit flipped through the files and paperwork inside the envelope that Mercy had given him.

Like many times before it wasn't an overly simple heist; but involved a small group for people to pull off correctly.

"Me, Henri, Emil, and Theron." He said holding up an acetate sheet to examine it by the light.

"Donc, the usual team." Mercy pointed out.

He grinned. "Meh it works."

She nodded. "So you guys should go over a plan today. Je pense Jen-Luc wants this done by the end of the week."

"Ah, that's unfair." He turned to look at Rogue. "Not going to be able to hang out with you Chère."

Finishing her coffee she shrugged. "No offence hon. Hadn't planned on running into you to begin with."

"Happy coincidences then." He interjected.

"Sure, we can call it that." She said teasingly, biting her tongue between her teeth.

"M'excuser Chère." He said leaning against the counter in front of her. "Mais, I don't remember you being this flirtatious." He smiled looking at her.

"I blame you." She said tapping her forehead.

"Your welcome." He grinned. "I know I am."

She just stuck her tongue out at him.

"And on that note, I'm out." Mercy said hoping down of the chair. "Hey Rogue, you can always come with me if you have nothing to do. I'm headed out shopping. I have Henri's cards and there is a sale at a few of my favourite stores."

Rogue got a flash of a memory; Mercy followed by a bald man, who she assumed was Henri. Both of them were laden down with shopping bags. Henri was clearly not enjoying himself, and looked like he was about to collapse under the weight of his wife's shopping purchases. Mercy on the other hand was clearly enjoying herself as she racked up a monolithic bill.

Rogue snapped out of the memory with a slightly panicked look. "Oh no! You're one of them."

"Pardon?" Mercy have her a quizzical look.

Rogue just stared before uttering, "Pod people."

Gambit began to chuckle at both their reactions. "Rogue is referring to your over zealous shopping habits."

"Understatement." Rogue clarified. "Kitty has the same horrible habit. And it usually involves trying to give me a make over."

"Ah that's to bad." Mercy said shouldering her bag. "Your clothes are cool, and I know of a few shops that you might like. That and Remy mentioned something about your passion for chocolate. There's a chocolatier near one of the stores if you want."

Rogue gave a mock glare before smiling. "Twist my arm would you."

Mercy squealed and clapped. "Come on, we'll take my car, and if we're lucky one of the stores I'll take you too will have a sale."

"Hey Cajun; let me know what I'm getting into with this one." She said hitching her thumb at his sister-in-law. "She as bad as Kitty?"

"Probably." He grinned back. "But at least she's not likely to make you try on anything pink."

"And besides." Mercy said from the doorway. "I can tell you embarrassing stories of when Remy was a boy."

"Oh well…" Rogue's eyes sparkled as she went to retrieve her messenger bag. "That will make it all worth it."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>

French Translations

Çine minut – Five minutes

Merde – Shit

Je suis – I am

Que faites-vous ici – What are you doing here

Bonjour à vous aussi petit frère – Hello to you too little brother

Mais – but

Je ne sais pas – I don't know

Je doute – I doubt

L'observation prudente sur votre partie – Prudent observation on your part

l' effet – affects her

Je sais ceci déjà, mais – I know this already, but

Je sais – I know

Je jure – I swear

Quoi? – What

Donc – So

Je pense – I think

M'excuser – Excuse me


	4. Girl Talk

**Author's Notes: **Bwahahah! I did it! I managed to finish this in time to get it up today. :D Happiness is getting this chapter written and getting it up for you guys to read. That being said, I hope to have Chapter 5 ready in time next week as well. I promise to try really hard to do so. Work has been interesting, and though I don't have time to write during the day like with my other temp job; I do get home much earlier then I did last month (Normal 9-5 is great).

Again I'd like to thank everyone who read/reviewed/added to their favourites.

And now to a new chapter; no Remy this time around; but the girls to get to have some fun.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Girl Talk<strong>

Both girls had been wondering around for a little bit before decided that since Rogue had yet to eat anything that they should stop for breakfast. They ended up at Le Café du Monde on Decatur; one of the stops on Rogue's list of things to do while she was visiting the town.

Like always the place was packed, but once the waiter saw Mercy he quickly located them a table.

"Do you always get this kind of service?" she asked as they waited for their order of beignets and coffee.

Mercy just shrugged. "It's a perk of being connected with the LeBeau family. It's not everywhere, mais I won't lie, I use the influence when I can."

The waiter returned almost immediately with a plate of the still hot pastries, pilled high with powdered sugar, and two cups of café au lait.

"Remy gets the same treatment, in a lot more places."

"For probably entirely different reasons in certain cases I'm sure." Rogue replied knowingly brushing her fingers across her lips to remove some of the sugar that came off of her beignet. The image of the waitress flirting with him from the previous night came to mind.

Mercy just smiled. "Yeah. Remy has always had a way with the ladies. Gets him in trouble sometimes."

"I believe that." Rogue relied with a snort.

"Tu sais, Remy talks about you often." Mercy said taking a sip of her coffee.

Rogue didn't really know what to make of that. Truth-be-told she didn't really know the man, the real man, the voice in her head though probably did give good enough indication. He was a charmer and a rogue himself, and had a way with the ladies. Other then the time they had spent together last year they had once met in combat where he had nearly blown off her hand with a card, and the other merely in passing. Though she had herd from the others that he had gone to help look for her when she was under Mesmero's power.

Apparently after Apocalypse had knocked everyone out, he was one of the first to wake up and had come to check on her and Logan down in the burial chamber Kitty had said. Genuine concern maybe? The version of him in head said it was.

"'kay." Rogue drawled, not sure where this was going, not sure she wanted to know where this was going.

"I think he likes you." Mercy said bluntly. "And I think you like him too."

Rogue nearly chocked on a mouthful of coffee. She took a moment to collect herself before turning back to the petite blond in front of her.

"You do realize I have him in my head, and know full well that he's a ladies man." She said avoiding the part about her liking him.

"Ladies man yes." Mercy said with a wave. "Sleeps with a lot of women, definitely. Mais, talks about them, non. Remy doesn't talk about the women he goes out with. In my mind, that makes you special hon."

Looking off to the side and staring out into space she replied in a somewhat dejected tone. "I highly doubt it."

"Cynical much?" Mercy said. "Is it had to believe that someone is taking an interest in you?

Rogue looked out of the corner of her eye at the other woman. "With my powers, yes. There was only one guy who ever took an interest in me. Cody landed in a comma because of my powers. Now the only time people take an interest in me is for my powers, and how they can use them to there advantage. And I hate to say this, but Remy is a perfect example of this. He used my powers to get information on where the Rippers where keeping Jean-Luc." She drew a design on the table with her gloved finger. "I understand why he did it, and I forgave him about it before I left last time."

There was a silence between them for a bit. They each finished a beignet before Mercy spoke again. "I'm sorry."

Rogue lifted her head to look at the other woman. "For what?"

"For Remy being such an idiot."

Rogue laughed at the dejected reaction his psych had to that statement.

"He feels hurt by your statement." She said pointing to her head. "But he also agrees, he was being an idiot."

"That being said, I still think you like him too. You wouldn't have been making out if you didn't; being able to touch or not." Mercy said with a shrewd smile. "That and I can see it in your face hon. It doesn't happen that often, and it's gone almost as soon as it's there, mais you get this slightly distant look in your eyes when you think of him. Ah don't deny it. Part of my job is to read people."

Rogue stared at Mercy before letting her breath out in a huff.

"To quote Shakespeare; _I would not deny you, but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion._"

Mercy giggled and clapped her hands together. "Yeay! You like Remy and he likes you."

Rogue smiled shaking her head. "Your worse then my friend Kitty."

Mercy just giggled.

"So I have to ask, and I don't mean this in any disrespect. But how much clothing did you bring with you? I only noticed a duffle bag. Please tell me you have some nice clothes in there."

Rogue thought of what she had packed in her bag. "Umm. Two pairs of shorts like this, a pair of jeans, a black peasant skirt and matching top, a black and white sundress with black tights, this t-shirt, and three tank tops; two black and one green. And before you ask, I have these boots and a pair of sandals. That's it; I'm a simple girl." She finished taking a bite of a beignet.

Mercy sat there with a stunned expression on her face. She blinked a few time. "Oh my god! That's it?" The poor girl looked like she was about to pass out. Rogue just gave a non-pulsed smile.

"Hon, how? What did you plan on wearing if you went out someplace special?"

"Mercy this is my vacation to decompress. My plans for the days were to do a bit of the touristy thing or spend them reading in cafes, and my nights, if I decided to go out were most likely to bars or jazz lounges. Not exactly dinner and dancing."

Mercy just waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Oh hon, I'm taking you out a few nights and we are so going shopping for appropriate clothing." She took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "Now I take it since you just rattled off all the clothing, aside from underwear, that you don't have anything to sleep in. Aside from your tank tops I take it."

Rogue nodded. "As I told Remy last night, I hadn't expected to be sharing a room with anyone. I figured that on this trip I could let loose like I can't back home. I haven't slept in the nude since I was thirteen, so yeah I left my pajamas back home. Although now I think I might need some."

"Come on." Mercy said with an evil smile. "We need to start shopping. And I know the first store we are going to visit."

Ten minutes later they found themselves in front of a lingerie store.

Mercy giggled maniacally. "Welcome to one of my favourite shops."

Rogue stared at the store front with her mouth slightly open. Eventually she started to giggle as well. "Mercy, no. I can't."

"Oh come on; I bet we find something perfect here." Mercy took Rogue by the hand and headed into the store.

Said store was filled with various bits of lingerie, ranging from rather casual to the extremely racy; and there were far more racy items then conservative.

Rogue was busy looking around slightly slack jawed that she didn't notice the sales clerk come up to them till the last second.

"Mercy don't tell me you're here again, you were in her two days ago buying clothing. What is it that you possibly could have forgotten to get that wasn't already on that yard long bill I gave you."

A rail thin Jamaican woman towered over the two girls with a rather humorous expression on her face. She was dressed in a deep pink and purple sarong dress with a simple pair of sandals. Her braided hair complimented her chocolate coloured skin nicely, shots of red permeating the black hair that fell down her back.

"Salut à vous aussi Chantal." Mercy said with a huge smile on her face. She picked up a lacy bra off the table and examined it. "We're not here for me today. Non, in fact we're here to find something from my friend Rogue here."

At that Chantal's entire expression changed, her mood became light and happy.

"Oh well in that case, I suppose we can find something." She turned to get a better look at Rogue. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"I need to get something to sleep in. Apparently, me sleeping in my tank top and underwear is not acceptable."

"Not for Remy's place." Mercy cut in with a mischievous smile.

"Mercy…" Rogue drawled back.

"What? You want to wear something sexy don't you?

"Seriously I was thinking something basic. Just some shorts and a matching sleeping top."

"Not going to happen hon." She shot back as she went to look at some of the clothing in the back."

"Pushy little thing isn't she." Chantal said with a smile.

Rogue nodded. "I'm starting to get that feeling."

"So you're staying with Remy?"

"Yeah… That wasn't my plan when I got off the train." She said looking at vary skimpy negligee on the manikin beside here. Pointing to said manikin she said, "Nothing like that."

Chantal looked at the manikin and proceeded to laugh hysterically. "Oh yeah, no. That's part of the fetish collection we have. Though with your body it would look amazing on you, I doubt that you would want to wear it as regular sleeping attire. Come." She took Rogue by her gloved hand and led her over to the check out counter. "I love your gloves; remind me to give you the address to an amazing store around here that sells all kinds of different gloves."

Rogue just nodded. The woman wasn't even fazed by the fact that she was wearing long opera glove during the middle of the day. Then again it was New Orleans, people probably dressed far weirder then she did.

"Now I now this is going to sound weird but I want you to take everything out of your purse and spread them out on the counter here. I want to get an idea of who you are so that I can better judge what we should look for."

Rogue was sort of stunned for a moment but did so none the less. Out of her messenger bag came her wallet, her iPhone with headphones, a pair of sunglasses, a romance novel, a leather bound journal with pen, a tine of mints, a small bottle of Advil, a hairbrush and hair-tie, a small container of Bath & Body Works _Dark Kiss_ hand cream, and her makeup bag with mascara, eyeliner, compact and a tube of deep red lipstick.

Chantal moved different things around and grouped others together.

"Okay. I think we can find something." She smiled and started to point out different things. "We're going to go dark colours, mainly blacks. To appease Mercy something sexy, but since you want simple we'll make it demure. I'm thinking something retro, even vintage in style. What's your feeling about lace?"

Rogue tugged at the collar of her top to reveal the lace edge of her bra.

Chantal smiled. "Perfect. I think I've narrowed it down to a few options. Come."

She crooked her finger at Rogue as she headed towards the back of the store. When Rogue caught up with her, Chantal had a few nightclothes draped over her arm. "Here we go, these should work."

Mercy chose that moment to return. She held up a rather racy baby doll nightie. "This looks good."

It was sheer and lacy and frilly. Both Rogue and Chantal took one look at it and shook their head. "No."

Mercy looked at the clothing in her hand and shrugged. She placed it down on the table and came to look at the selection that Chantal had.

"Alright I think we have a few to try. Mercy go gather Rogues things on the counter; Rogue, take these into the change room and try them on. I want to see how they look."

Taking the small pile of clothing Rogue stepped into the change room at the back of the store. Once inside she looked at the various pieces that she was to try on.

Stripping of her shirt and her shorts she tried on the first thing her fingers touched. After dressing she stepped put for the others to see.

She turned around in the floor length negligee. It was made of black satin with lace around the waist and the back. It was rather elegant and could double as a gown in certain nightclubs.

"It's nice, I like it, but I don't think I'd like to sleep in underwire." She poked at the aforementioned underwire.

Mercy smiled as she looked at me in the dress. "You sure? Makes your boobs look amazing."

Rogue looked down at her ample chest that had been pushed into place. "Mercy, yes my chest looks great, but it's not practical; especially with this slit up the side." She ran her finger up the slit in the side of the gown; it went up to her waist. "I look like Jessica Rabbit in this thing."

"And how is that a problem?" Mercy said with raised brows. "Besides think of what Remy would say about you in it."

Rogue smiled. "I don't think he'd be saying anything. More like having a heart attack."

"Exactly!"

Chantal just laughed. "Plan on seducing the Rajin' Cajun?"

"Seduce?" Mercy interjected. "The boy is already hook, line and sinker for her."

"Mercy. You're exaggerating." Rogue said blushing with embarrassment. "Besides I'm looking for something to sleep in, not drive Gambit crazy in."

She huffed and relented.

Rogue tried on a few more items including a baby doll and a tank top and short set before reemerging in a lace appliqué satin slip styled nightgown.

Chantal's eyes lit up. "Well now. I think we have found our winner."

Rogue smiled as she ran her hands down the sides of the gown. It fell about her upper thigh and was made of midnight black satin and pale green lace.

Marcy smiled and clapped her hands together. "I think it's perfect."

"So do I. I'll take it."

Chantal nodded smiling. "It looks great on you. Is there anything else you need?"

She pondered a moment. As much as she loved it, she felt rather naked in it; even with her stocking and gloves. "A robe would be good."

Chantal raised her finger and disappeared back into the shop. A minute later she returned with a satin robe on her arm. "The matching robe." She held it out and Rogue slipped it on. She loved it immediately. It came down to about the same length as the gown but it had long sleeves and for Rogue that made the whole thing worth it. She ran her gloves down the arms to the belled out lase sleeves. "I think it's perfect."

"Alright. If you take them off we'll ring them up." Chantal said with a hug smile.

Rogue emerged from the change room with the two articles of clothing.

"So how much is this going to be?" She asked pulling her wallet out of her bag that Mercy had handed back to her.

"Nothing." Mercy said pulling out her credit card and slapping it down on the counter.

"What? Mercy?" Rogue turned to the petite blond. "No you're not buying these for me."

"Ha! Course I am." She answered back. "And through in that first gown as well Chantal."

"Mercy!"

"It's my gift hon."

"What the hell am I going to do with it?"

She smiled evilly. "Drave Remy insane."

Rogue just stared at her as she laughed manically.

After further arguing and Rogue losing said arguments about who was paying for the clothing Chantal handed Rogue the bag with the bill for the three items, and Mercy back her credit card.

"The address for that store I told you about is written on the back." Chantal said pointing it out.

"Thank you Chantal." Rogue said shaking the woman's hand.

"The pleasure was mine. Come back anytime if you want to look around."

"Will do."

The two girls walked back out of the store and started walking down the street in search of the store Chantal had mentioned.

"Mercy you really didn't have to buy these for me."

"Rogue, honey." Mercy said looping her arm with Rogue's. "You're like the little sister I've always wanted and never had."

"How can you say something like that? You've known me for less the a day."

"Instinct." She answered bluntly. "And from how Remy talks about you, I feel like I've known you for a lot longer."

Rogue was stunned and didn't know how to react to a statement like that. Feeling uncomfortable in the situation she reverted back to her original.

"I still don't feel right for you paying for these."

"Rogue there a gift." Mercy said; her smile took on a slightly conniving look. "And seeing as how I consider you my little sister, I have a whole lot of missed birthdays and Christmases to make up for."

At that she ran off ahead laughing.

Rogue ran to catch up laughing herself, all the while thinking that though this day would be a long one, it was going to be fun.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Hope you liked the chapter; and as a treat I'm going to try and post links to pictures of the clothing Rogue got at the store.

Addendum: Since it's being a pain and not letting me post the links on my profile anymore; for the:  
>Lace Applique Satin Slip: http:  / www. /images/thumbs/0001397 .jpeg  
>Satin Robe: http:  /-qoozCvAIft4/TfI5NTB2t0I/AAAAAAAABdM/xKWQZFDLlL8/s1600/la+senza+robe .jpg

Copy and paste into your browser and remove the spaces.

Oh and yes, the things pulled out of her bag are the things I carry around daily in mine. Tip of the week: always have an empty cloth bag stashed in you bag/purse. You never know when you might need one if you decided to pick up a few thins while your out. In my case, vinyl records.

* * *

><p><strong>French Translation<strong>

Mais – But  
>Tu sais – you know<br>Non – no  
>Salut à vous aussi – Hello to you too<p> 


	5. Dinner and a Movie

**Author's Notes:**

Hey everyone, sorry this is a few days late. I've been so tired the past week when I got home. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy it.

Just to let you know there won't be a chapter this week, I'll be in New York. I hope to have the next one up the following week.

Again I'd like to thank everyone who read/reviewed/added to their favorites

Oh and Lexa, I promise to write when I get back with all the juicy tales from my trip. Have fun on yours.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Dinner and a Movie<strong>

Gambit had just gotten of his cell with his cousin Emil when both Mercy and Rogue walked back in the door. He started to laugh at the sight of Rogue laden down with about a dozen bags of various sizes.

"Your sister-in-law is insane!" she said placing the bags down on the floor near the sofa.

"I told you she was." He replied smiling. He came and sat down on the sofa and took a look at all the bags that the two girls had brought in. It was fascinating in the same way that a car accident was; it attracted the people's attention and you just couldn't look away.

"I take it Mercy had fun purchasing new clothes today." He asked knowing full well the answer.

She had a big smile on her face. "Oui." She said emphatically. "Got some cute shoes too."

"Mercy why did you bring all of these up here?" He asked pulling open one of the bags to inspect the content. He had started to pull out a bit of black satin material when his hand was smacked away buy Rogues.

"They're not hers. Their mine."

He looked at the large assortment and then back at Rogue with an amused smile. "Chère, didn't think you liked shopping that much."

"I don't." She said snatching away another bag as he attempted to see the content. "Mercy is insane and decided to buy me a new wardrobe. Anything that I remotely showed interest in she bought it."

"Your welcome." Mercy smiles angelically from her perch on the loveseat.

"She refused to let me buy anything." Rogue said pointing her finger at the smirking blond. "The only thing I was able to buy for myself was a simple sketchbook and some pencils; and that's only because I ran through the store and got to the check out before she did."

He chuckled at the mental image that he got of Rogue vaulting over counters in order to beat Mercy to the register. "Well you did always say that you considered shopping a sport Mercy."

"The only reason she beat me is because she pulled some interesting acrobats to get over a display case and I was too stunned that anyone outside the guild new moves like that."

Rogue smirked. "Well I guess I can text Logan and let him know I've been keeping up my training."

"Another condition of you being able to take this trip Chère?"

She shrugged a bit. "He suggested that I keep it up and exercise. He not so subtly suggested that he would drop me in the Danger Room to test me when I can back."

"Danger Room?" Mercy looked quizzical.

"Our training room." She thought better then explaining exactly what it was. "You shouldn't know about it; it's kind of classified."

"From what I know, sound like fun." Gambit said recalling the basic information from his Acolyte days.

"Not fun when Wolverine is running the room." She said pointing. "And this is not pride, but I'm one of Logan's best."

"Ah oui? Maybe we'll have to test this."

"What?" she said sitting down with a smirk. "Looking for a beating. I've gotten better since the shipyard."

He smirked. "Oui, je sais. Still have the memories from when you were under Mesmero's power. You fight pretty well."

Rogue blushed. "Thanks."

"Et vous embrassez bien aussi."

"Swamp Rat!"

"C'est vrai." He paused and then something dawned on him. "You don't know do you."

She just stared at him.

He smirked. "That's how you got me. You knocked me out with a kiss."

Rogue sat there stunned. She tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"I'd have to say it's by far my favourite way to be knocked out though." He teased. "A part du headache."

"Aww. That's sweet." Mercy said after listening to the conversation. "Well I'm going to be off. Henri and I are going out to dinner."

She stood up and headed to the door. "See you soon you two. Don't forget to hang those up hon."

And then she was out the door and gone; leaving Rogue and Remy alone together.

They sat in silence for a moment before Gambit spoke up. "So do I get to see what you got today?" He attempted once again to see the content of one of the bags, only to have Rogue snatch it from his hands.

"Eventually."

He turned his cheshire grin at her in a seductive and teasing manner. "You going to try them on for me?"

She laughed whole heartily. "Keep dreaming Swamp Rat."

"Will do Chère." He smiled salaciously. To which she just shook her head.

"Had fun?" he asked resting his head in his hand.

She nodded and rested her head on the back of the couch. "Yeah I did, surprisingly."

"Better then shopping avec chaton?"

Here eyes widened. "So much better. Your sister has taste."

"So what did she get you?"

She started to laugh. "Seriously? Your like a child. Is it that important to know what I got while out today?"

He grinned. "Mais, is it so bad that I want to see what pretty things you bought? More curious then anything. Your new look has me wondering what you wear now."

"Well you'll just have to wait and see Swamp Rat." Again she had to smack his hand away from one of the bags. This time he was quick and snatched her hand, holding her wrist. He pulled her to him, till she was flush against his chest.

Rogue was completely caught off guard and didn't know what to do our how to react for a moment. While her brain was otherwise occupied he ran his hand up his arm and slowly removed her glove.

"No need for these Chère."

Gently he removed the other one and placed it to rest on the coffee table in front of them.

"Beaucoup mieux."

Sitting on the couch as he had the night before Rogue lay against his chest, his arms he wrapped around her waist. "Your quiet Chère."

"That's because I don't know what to do."

He grinned. "Need a teacher?"

"Haha, funny Cajun." She rested her head on his chest and just enjoyed the feel of his arms around her.

"Comfortable Chère?"

Smiling she gave a sigh. "Very."

He chuckled. "Bon."

"Remy."

"Oui?"

"I'm hungry."

There was a pause. A grin spread across his face. "I can take care of that."

She raised her head and shot him a mock glare. "Food Cajun."

"Can do that too." He laughed.

"Is everything with you a double entender?" she asked poking him in the chest.

"Mais you make it so easy sometimes Chère." He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Yeah well do you think you can keep your mind out of the gutter for a bit to figure out something to eat."

His smile only grew. "Chère."

She rolled her eyes. "God your like a hormonal teenage boy."

He just grinned. "D'Accord, what would you like to have for dinner."

Rogue shrugged. "What is there to have?"

He thought for a moment. "I can make some pasta, not much in the house at the moment."

"That sounds good." Standing up she stretched, feeling Gambits eyes on her as she did so. "I guess while you start dinner, I'll put these bags away and get washed up."

While Rogue gathered up her bags and eventually went to the bedroom; Gambit headed into the kitchen.

He was busy searching through the cupboards when something collided with the back of his head.

"Alright Swamp Rat, where are they?"

He turned around to see Rogue holding one of her stockings rolled up in a ball, the other was what he assumed was what hit his head.

"Pardon?"

"My stuff. Where is it Swamp Rat? Where did you put my bag?"

It took him a second but he finally understood what she was talking about.

He bent down and retrieved her rolled up stocking and walked around the counter towards her. Taking her hand he walked them into the bedroom. Walking over to the dresser he opened one of the drawers revealing the clothing that Rogue had packed for her trip neatly folded inside.

"There are extra hangers dans le placard, and another empty drawer under this one Chère." He said tapping the drawer her was referring to. "Je t'ai dit to make yourself at home Chère. Not going to have you living out of that duffle while you're here."

She just nodded before smacking him in the arm.

"Ah jees, what was that for?"

"For pawing through my underwear."

He smiled. "Ah Chère, would a gentleman do that?"

"Who says you're a gentleman? Now out, I'm going to get washed and changed and I don't need an audience."

Once again he gave her a salacious grin. "You sure Chère?"

"Out." She pointed to the door.

He just grinned and backed out of the door, closing it as he left.

Rogue shook her head and started to put away the various clothing that she had gotten today.

Remy was busy with the basic ingredients for pasta Bolognese; the water was boiling, the pasta was measured, garlic was sautéing in oil and waiting for the sauce; when he happened to lift his head at the same moment that Rogue stepped out of the bedroom.

His hand stilled on the old recipe that was on the counter as he took in the sight of her. Damn if she wasn't beautiful.

"Your staring Cajun."

He let an easy grin spread across his face. "Something new Chère?"

She matched his grin with one of her own. She gently ran her fingers over the satin slip. "Yeah, you like? Mercy didn't think it was appropriate for me to be sleeping in my tank top and underwear."

"Now I don't know if I should thank her or not."

He watched as she came and sat down on one of the stools in front of the counter he was working on. He watched as the edge of her robe slipped down to reveal the pale flesh of her shoulder. She saw the look that passed through his eyes; a heated smoulder that sent little tendrils of heat through her.

She let her eyes wonder from him to the various ingredients on the counter and stove. "So what's for dinner?"

The simple question seemed to bring him out of his musing. A slow easy smile once again returned to his face. "Spaghetti Bolognese with meatballs, paired with a Shiraz and some garlic bread."

She smiled genuinely. "Sounds delicious."

"Devrait être. It's one of my Tante's recipes." He said taping said recipe. "She taught me how to cook when I was little. Did it to try and keep me out of trouble."

"Fat lot of help that did I bet." She teased. "Somehow I know you have always had a tendency of getting yourself into trouble."

"Moi." He pointed to himself with an amused grin. "Nah I've always been nothing but un ange."

This got Rogue laughing. "Sure Cajun. And those are your horns holding up that halo."

"I am referred to Le Diable Blanc."

"I love your eyes Remy." And then she blushed, as if it slipped out without meaning to. The memory of him being ridiculed because of his eyes as a child had caused her to say it.

He smiled and came around the counter. Bending his head to hers he ran a gentle finger across her cheek. "Et vos yeux sont encore plus bel alors des émeraudes."

Her blush deepened and she fussed with her hair as he went back around the counter. "Now if you don't mind I'll get back to dinner. Tante Mattie would skin me alive if I burnt dinner for you."

"Something that has happened before?"

He chuckled. "Rule one, if Tante Mattie had a wooden spoon, or any cooking implement in her had, leave the room immediately."

"I'm guessing you've learned this the hard way."

"Oui, unfortunately a few times in my younger years. But trust me, once you try some of her food, you'd understand why we'd try and snatch some when we had a chance."

He was busy stirring the sauce on the burner when Rogue started to laugh again.

"So what's this story about you, Henri and your cousins getting covered in powdered sugar while trying to steal food from your Tante Mattie's kitchen?"

His hand stilled with the wooden spoon in the pot. He closed his eyes with a slightly pained expression. "Oh merde. She didn't." He started to chuckle. "Please tell me Mercy didn't tell you that story."

"She tried." Rogue chuckled thinking of their conversation that afternoon. "She kept laughing that it was hard for her to tell the story. I'm guessing she had mental pictures of what had happened."

"Mental pictures? The brat was there."

"Oh really, do tell." Her eyes took on a devious sparkle.

"Non." He said chuckling.

"Please." She gave him eyes and bit her lips seductively.

He gave a growl as she sat there looking at him. "Damn tease."

She smiled evilly at him.

"It was after church one day. Thank God it was after church." His eyes went wide as if he had a sudden revelation. "I would not be standing here today if it had happened before."

"Still in your Sunday's best I take it."

"Oui." He said smiling, remembering the memory. "We had come back to the house after church and Tante said she was going to make some beignets. Emil and Etienne got the idea of swiping a few of them while Tante was busy setting the table."

To put a long story short, we managed to get into the kitchen without anyone knowing. Got several plates of beignets and turned around to find Tante standing in the doorway, her arms crossed, holding one of her wooden spoons and the most frightening expression on her face. Je jure I lost two years of my life because of that day."

Emil screamed so loud when he turned around and saw Tante Mattie standing there that he caused a chain reaction. Half of us tossed the plates in the air, the powdered sugar that had been on the beignets landed on us."

"How old were you?" Rogue asked smiling.

He chuckled. "Oh about seven."

Rogue laughed picturing him all dressed up covered in powdered sugar, looking like a little ghost.

"Sounds like you guys got into a lot of trouble as kids."

"And what of you Miss Rogue?" he asked glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Get into any trouble when you were younger?"

"Please, Cajun, I was an angel."

He cracked a huge smile.

"Et puis that's why you call yourself Rogue right Chère."

She just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh now that's very lady like."

She just continued to smile.

"Having fun Chère?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Good, you look beautiful when you smile."

She smiled sheepishly and rested her head in her hands. Through out this conversation Remy had been putting the final touches on dinner. Tossing the dirty pots and pans into the sink he slid two plates down the counter before retrieving two wineglasses. He poured two glasses from the bottle he had previously opened to breath.

He came and sat down on the stool beside her and pushed one of the plates towards her and waited for her to take a bite. He was rewarded with a gentle moan as she tasted the dish.

"Really good Remy."

"Merci Chère."

Aside from light conversation they eat mainly in silence.

Dinner was interrupted by the sound of a cellphone message being received. Gambit pulled his phone from his pocket to find a message from his cousin.

"It's Lapin." He said looking over the content of the message. "Looks like I'm going to be out of town for a few days for work."

"Oh, where you headed." She paused and smiled. "You know what, don't tell me. I don't want to be an accessory to anything."

He grinned. "What? Don't you think we would make a good Bonny and Clyde?"

"Funny Cajun." She smirked back at him. "What time are you leaving?"

"Early. My flight leaves at seven in the morning."

Rogue nodded and looked off to the side thinking. She felt a slight twinge of disappointment at hearing this, but brushed it off.

"Should be finished in a few days." His smile took on a cheshier quality. "Et puis I'm all yours."

"Oh be still my beating heart." She said. She made like Scarlet O'Hara and feigned a dizzy spell. Leaning back she brought her hand to head and lifted her feet to rest them on his leg. Heavy sarcasms dripped from her next words as a grin spread across her lips. "What ever will I do without you."

"I can think of a few things." He ran his hand along her stocking clad leg. "What do you want to do tonight Chère?"

"Let's stay in." It was like watching two trains heading for each other; only to find that they were on different tracks. "It's been a long day, and I'm tired. And it would appear you have an early morning."

"Movie? Nice glass of wine and some fresh strawberries?"

"You got strawberries?" she asked.

"Oh you like strawberries." He gave her a look of mock surprise.

She poked him in the chest with her foot. "Stalking is not cool Gambit."

He chuckled as he stood up, gathering their empty plates to the dishwasher. After retrieving the bottle of wine and a bowl of fresh strawberries from the fridge.

He came and sat down on the couch, he started to flip through channels when Rogue returned from washing her hands. Sitting down at the other edge of the couch she snagged one of the strawberries.

"Feel like some film noir Chère?"

She turned and looked at the highlighted channel on the television guide. She smiled and turned back to him.

"I do love Bogart and Bacall."

He smiled and tuned into the channel that was about to start the movie. They settled in and watched the classic film _The Big Sleep._

Rogue sat in the opposite corner of the sofa, her head resting on the arm of the seat cradled in her bent arm. She was deeply engrossed in the movie and didn't notice Remy watching her.

"Rogue."

She lifted her head to look at him, her eyes half dazed. He smiled a lazy smile and reached out to her. Her whole body stiffened for a moment but he paid it no heed and pulled her to him. He laid her down in front of him and wrapped his arm over her hip loosely. She looked up at him with a perplexed look.

He smiled at her. "Relax."

Turning her head she went back to watching the movie, trying not to notice how close they were and the absent-minded gentle stroking his finger made on her hip.

Try as she might she couldn't watch the movie, and at the same time something nagged at her brain. _I think he likes you._ Mercy's voice whispered through her mind. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him was he stared at the television, watching the film, all the while he continued to absently draw circles on her hip with his thumb.

Sitting up she turned to look at him; staring him strait in the eye and asked the question that was on her mind.

"Are you actually attracted to me or am I just some kind of challenge because of my mutation."

He was quiet for a moment. Taking her hand he pulled her to him. "Where is this coming from?"

"Just something Mercy had said while we were out."

"She said that I thought of you as a challenge."

"No, she said… something else." She turned her head to the side to hide the embarrassed blush that was creeping across her cheeks.

He got the idea of what she was talking about. He smirked and ran his hands down her sides to her hips.

"I do think of you as a challenge."

"I knew it." She tried to pull back.

"Mais." He cut in. "Not because of your mutation. Mais just you. Your stubbornness and your personality; and probably for the reason that you are one of the few femmes that are not effected by my charm."

"That's because I can see it's just your ego." She smirked.

"I think it's just your stubbornness."

"Damn strait I'm stubborn Swamp Rat." She said. "I'd have to be to deal with your inflated ego."

"And your wit; it's quiet refreshing." His thumbs drew gentle circles on her hip. "I find you sexy and beautiful Chère. And if you don't mind I'm going to kiss you now."

She didn't really have time to say anything to the contrary, not that she really wanted to as he captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

"Charmer." She whispered as they drew apart.

"Ah, so my charm is working."

She chuckled. "Sure, keep thinking that Swamp Rat."

Once again they settled back in and watched the remainder of the film. Remy had cuddled her throughout the movie, and Rogue had to admit she liked the feeling.

"Good movie." He said as it ended.

She nodded. "Yep. As I said, I love Bogart and Bacall. The films a bit different then the book but this way the guy gets the girl."

"As it should be."

She was about to say something in return when a yawn escaped.

He chuckled. "And I take that as a cue that it's time to get you to bed."

Yet again she yawned. "Yeah, I think if we stayed here any longer I would fall asleep here."

"Comfortable?"

"Yes." She smiled. "But the bed is more comfortable."

"Bon, alonzi."

Gathering their selves up they went into the bedroom. Rogue used the washroom first, taking her time in getting ready for bed. When she came out she found Remy out on the balcony having a cigarette.

"Your turn."

"Merci Chère."

While he was in the shower, Rogue turned down the bed. Taking off her robe she tossed it at the end of the bed and crawled between the silk sheets.

He emerged shortly after she had gotten comfortable in bed. He smiled at the sleepy looking Rogue.

He went over to the closet and removed the pre-packed carry-on luggage.

"Remy?" she leaned on her elbow. "Where do you think your going?"

He had a slightly bewildered expression as he looked at her. "I figured since I'm going to have to leave in the middle of the night I would sleep on the couch so as not to wake you."

She gave him a look. "Get your ass over here Cajun"

She flopped down on the bed as she heard him chuckle. A moment later she felt him lay down beside her in bed. Teaching behind her she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her.

"Comfortable Chère?" he chuckled pulling her close.

"Very." She smiled, enjoying the feel of his arm protectively around her.

"Bonne nuit Chère." He buried his face in her hair and kissed her goodnight.

"Mmmm. Night Remy."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

French Translation:

Et vous embrassez bien aussi. – And you kiss good too.

C'est vrai. – It's true

Chaton – kitten (in this case he's referring to Kitty)

Beaucoup mieux – Much better

D'Accord – Alright

dans le placard – in the cupboard

Je t'ai dit – I told you

Devrait être – Should be

un ange – an angel

Et vos yeux sont encore plus bel alors des émeraudes. – And your eyes are even more beautiful then emeralds.

Merde – shit

Et puis – And so

Bon, alonzi – Good, come on


	6. The Big Easy

**Author's Notes: **

I'M ALIVE!

Hey everyone. I've been a bad girl and not updated in a long time, practically 2 months to the day; and for those of you who messaged me, no I am not giving up on this story. I can tell all of you that there are a few chapters written already for later in the plot, and a conclusion is firm in my mind. The only excuse I can give is that I've been suffering from writer's ennui; no actual drive to write. Along with that so many books have come out that I have wanted to read, and I've gotten caught up in them.

But here is Chapter six. Consider it an early birthday gift. As in it's my birthday and I'm giving you all a gift. Yeah my birthday is this weekend; I'm turning 26. I feel old some days.

I have more time on my hands now that I'm back working at my photograph job, and I hope to work on this and some of my other stories. The next two chapters are going to be short ones, no Remy in them, but after that things pic up a bit. I can't give you exact dates as to when I'll post them but I will. Till then enjoy the chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: The Big Easy<strong>

With a sigh Rogue woke up. Rubbing her eyes she rolled over, confirming that yes indeed she was alone in the massive bed. For a moment she lay there trying to figure out what she was feeling. She laid on her back with her knees bent staring up at the ceiling. If she admitted it to herself, even though she knew he wouldn't be here when she woke up, she still felts disappointment at that moment. You would think that living the past several years without touch would have conditioner her, but if anything left her craving it all the more now that there was someone she could touch.

"Damn it. I actually miss the Swamp Rat."

She rolled over and faced the side of the bed that Remy had slept on. After a moment she reached over and drew his pillow to her and burying her face in it breathed deep the scent that was purely Remy.

"Damn it." She smiled.

Sitting up she rested the pillow in her lap and ran her fingers through her bed tussled hair. She looked over at the bedside table clock and noticed that it was only 9:30 in the morning. _Well could be earlier._ She looked at the clock again. _ Shower._

Tossing off the blankets she padded her way into the washroom.

She exited freshly cleansed some time later; a towel wrapped around her head and her body.

Exchanging the towel for her robe, which she picked up from the end of the bed, she walked into the main room towel drying her hair.

The first thing she noticed was a note and a set of keys on the counter. She picked up the key ring that had two keys on it; one for the door to the apartment and one for the gate she surmised. She then turned and read the note.

_Morning __Chère_.

_Hope you slept well. I did; till I had to get up that is. I was very tempted to stay with you in bed this morning. Alas, had to get up. I should be back in a few days, it's a pretty easy assignment. If you need anything send me a text and I'll try and help you as best I can. In case of an emergency just call Mercy and get out of the apartment, I'll try and get back as soon as I can._

_Till I get back, have fun and don't get into any trouble without me._

_Remy_

Rogue smiled as she read the note. She had to wonder on a few things. One, what did he consider an emergency? Well okay, there were Rippers if she remembered their last run in with the annoying group who kidnapped his father; but she probably could fend for herself in a case like that for the most part. The second was when had he programmed his number into her phone. She wasn't going to question how he hacked the password on her phone, he was a thief after all, this would have been child's play.

As if to confirm this for herself, she went back into the bedroom and retrieved her phone from the nightstand. Wandering back into the kitchen she flicked through the contacts on her phone's contact list; as expected she found several that weren't there before.

_Emil__ Lapin  
><em>_Henri LeBeau  
><em>_Mercy LeBeau  
><em>_Remy LeBeau  
><em>_Etienne Marceaux  
><em>_Theoron Marceaux_

Clicking on a few of the contacts she found phone numbers and other contact information.

Setting down her phone she fixed herself some coffee and went to see what there was to eat. Checking the fridge and the cupboards she confirmed what he had said the night before; that there was indeed not much in the house food wise. It made sense in his line of work. He never really knew how long he would be in town, didn't want things going bad.

_Going to need to pick up as a few things, _she thought as she munched on some of the leftover strawberries from the night before. By the time she finished her breakfast she had a small list of groceries to pick up. She changed into a long sweeping black belly dancing skits and a matching peasant blouse with long loose billowing sleeves. It had deep green embroidery similar to those on the outfit worn by Anna Valerious in the movie _Van Helsing_. Pairing these with a pair of simple black gladiator sandals and some shear gloves she grabbed her bag with her book, sketch pad, pencils and iPhone.

Today would be a relaxing day. A day for wondering around town, taking it easy and taking in the sights.

The first stop of the day was to the Historic Voodoo Museum. She told herself that if she ever got the chance to come back to New Orleans that she would spend some time checking out the various locations in the city connected with New Orleans voodoo history; the Voodoo Museum was up around the top of the list.

The museum wasn't that busy this hour of the morning during the middle of the week. She walked into the famous establishment and found a middle aged woman who very much looked the part of a stereotypical voodoo practitioner; all the more to cater to tourism.

"Morning." She said as Rogue walked in through the door. "Would you be here for the tour my dear?"

Rogue smiled. "No. If you don't mind I'd like to wonder a bit, do some sketching." She pulled the pad of paper from her bag as if to prove her statement.

The woman smiled at her, nodding. "Sure dear. If you have any questions just ask."

Prime tourist season was still about a week away and she was taking advantage of this and wandered through the eclectic and weird displays of voodoo culture without many people around. The whole place had the feel of an old curiosity shop. Rogue peered at the various items pickling in jars and shaking her head gave a slight shudder.

Wondering over to stand in front of the Baron Samedi display she began to do a basic sketch. Piotr was the resident artist in the mansion, and a fantastic one at that, but Rogue was no slouch either; no where near his level but decent enough. She promised him to send a few sketched during her adventures, this seemed like a good enough place to start. Half hour later she had a half decent drawing of the skeletal head, enough to work out something more concrete later. Maybe something partially skeletal, and part fleshed out. _Oh for the through back to my gothic years._ She smiled at that thought. _Wasn't that long ago._

Continuing along she wondered the halls, looking at various photographs and painting, stopping to read the inscriptions and plaques beside a few of them. Eventually she came to the display on the famed Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. The painting depicted a beautiful creole woman of imposing presence. Pulling out her sketchpad she began to sketch out the painting.

She was deep in her work that she didn't notice someone come up behind her.

"That's pretty good."

She gave a start and turned to see a young man a few years older then herself.

"Thanks."

She turned back to her drawing but felt him still looking at her. Shifting her eyes she caught him still looking at her and her sketchpad. He was average looking, sandy blond hair, and average build. _I can take him. _She looked forward again and blinked her eyes. _Wow. Man I really needed this vacation if that's my fist thought._

"Are you an artist?"

Once again she looked up and found him looking at her. "No."

"You studying art maybe?"

"No." she smiled.

"Really? So your not in my 'Classic Figure' drawing class?"

Still sketching away at her drawing she smiled. "No, and if your next question is if I was a model in your class the answer is no as well."

She heard him chuckle beside her. Flipping the cover over she placed her pad back in her bag. "And for the record, cheesy pick up lines like those don't usually work on girls."

She smiled good-naturedly at him as he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"That bad?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I've been on the receiving end of better." _Remy._

He nodded. "Can I make it up to you over a coffee maybe?"

_Aww. How cute he's trying._

She lowered her head and smiling gave her head a shake; running her fingers through her now dried curly hair she raised it and gave him a bemused smile.

"On any given day I would shoot you a death glare and brush you off with a snide remark." she said making a dismissive motion with her hand. "But since you've made me laugh and it's a good day I'll be nice. Thanks for the offer and the hit on, but I'm going to have to say no, and not lead you on, seeing as I'm seeing someone at the moment."

It felt weird to say it, but at the same time felt really nice. She was sort of seeing Remy, even if it didn't go anywhere, she was committed to whatever it is they were doing.

He nodded and smiled. "Okay, cool. I'm going to go now before I completely embarrass myself, but I hope you have nice rest of your day. Have fun drawing."

She watched him wander off, most likely in search of another girl to hit on. It was probably something that he did often, and she knew the type, but all the same it still felt nice to be hit on. But it felt even better to turn him down because she had someone who cared about her.

After a few more minutes looking at the various displays she headed to the curio shop to pick up a gift for Wanda. Choosing carefully she pick out a Louisiana moss stuffed voodoo doll; not that the Scarlet Witch needed help with magic, but every little bit helps. She'd have to find a post office latter to ship it to her friend.

"Is there anything else you would like?" asked the clerk behind the counter.

"Umm, yeah actually. I need to get my hands on a few drams of rum. I'm going to go and visit Marie Laveau's tomb and I wanted to bring her a gift."

The clerk smiled. "Looking to have a wish fulfilled?"

Rogue shook her head. "No wish, just paying my respects."

"Smart girl. Practitioner?" she asked placing Rogue's purchase in a small bag.

"No, but I do know to pay respect when visiting graves. That and I did some research for a paper on religious practices."

Smiling she nodded. "That you would know what a dram is; or to offer rum tells me you do know a thing or two about religious practices. Well I'd offer you some if I had but I don't. But I do know of a lady not to far from here who might. Give me a moment."

She turned to the phone on the counter and dialed a number; Rogue wondered to the end of the counter to give the woman some privacy to the clerk.

"Hey Marie it's Nadia, are you working today? Good. I have a young girl here who wants to make a gift at the tomb of Marie Laveau." There was a pause, which Rogue surmised was the woman, Marie, on the other end of the line talking. "Nah, she's not your everyday tourist seeking favours from the Queen. She's not a practitioner either but has done her homework. She would like some rum… I know, but I figure you've got some that your willing to be parted from." Ah small laugh. "Doubt it. Alright I'll send her over. She has brown and white hair. See you next week Marie."

After hanging up the phone she turned back to Rogue while righting down something on a piece of paper. "Here you go, this is where Marie works, she'll be able to help you."

Taking the piece of paper Rogue thanked the woman and headed out into the bustling streets to find the address.

Nadia was right, it wasn't that far, and Marie was waiting for her when she got there.

Rogue walked into the occult shop and found the woman sitting in a large wicker fan chair. She stood up when she saw Rogue walk in.

"You must be the young lady Nadia sent over."

"Yes she said you might be able to help me." Rogue said looking around the shop. She turned back to the woman with a smile. "I would like to acquire some rum to make a gift at Leveau's tomb."

Crooking her finger she walked over to the counter. Rogue followed and waited as she retrieved two little bottles from behind the counter. They were two cork stopped dark blue glass bottles with silver designs on them.

"Now, I take it your under twenty-one right."

Rogue nodded to this.

"So I can't actually sell you the rum, but I can sell you the bottles." She said with a knowing smile. Got to love language. She pulled out a bottle of rum and filled both bottles.

"Now the bottles are marked with the veve of Maman Bridgette, one of the Ghede, and is a loa that looks after the dead and the cemeteries'. They are already blessed so there is no ritual you need to preform."

As if she noticed Rogue's wonder as to why there were two bottles she went on. "Now one is for the tomb that all the tourist visit, it is the one that is generally considered her final resting place, in the Glapion family crypt; the other is for another tomb not that far from that one that some believe to be her real resting place. I'm not certain myself but it does belong to a powerful voodoo practitioner so it doesn't hurt to place one there as well."

Nodding Rogue paid for he two bottles and thanked to woman for her help.

Her next stop of the day was to go and find Marie Laveau's grave in the Saint Louis Cemetery #1. After a bit of hunting she eventually found it in the southern portion of the cemetery.

Rogue was lucky enough to find the area around Laveau's tomb empty and devoid of pesky tourist. Well she was a tourist, but not some photo happy tourist that were drawn to places like these.

Sitting down in front of the grave she pulled out her sketchpad again and sat the bottle of rum down in front of the tomb, amid a mired of other offerings. From her low vantage point she took a photo for future reference before beginning her sketch.

She must have been at it for a white because the sun had shifted and eventually a walking tour made its way to visit the famous grave.

Gathering up her things she decided to find the other tomb that Marie had mentioned.

It wasn't far away, only down an ally and behind a row of other graves. This tomb was in far less better shape. Much of the brick and mortar were falling apart. But like Marie Laveau's tomb, this one had many offering before it, as well as the 'XXX' that people had made upon the brick face when they were seeking favours from the deceased voodoo practitioner. Unlike before she didn't stay as long. It was already the afternoon and she was beginning to get hungry.

Eventually she fond her way out of the city of the dead and made her way back towards Jackson Square.

Pulling a late lunch at Muriel's she ordered the Wood Grilled Beef Tenderloin Salad with a slice of Red Velvet Cheesecake for desert.

After enjoying her delicious lunch and desert she ambled over to the French market in the attempts of finding things on her groceries list. Wondering up and down the alleys of the farmer's market she picked through the days selection. By the time she was done she had two bags full of food, and a fresh baguette tucked under her arm. _Should last me for a few days. _She pulled out her iPhone and checked the weather for the next few days. Rain. She turned and looked at the pastry shop she just passed. _Wont want to go out, might as well get some now._

Walking back out into the square she promised herself that she would visit the Flea Market and find something for Kitty and Kurt when the weather got better in a few days.

Evening was setting in and the streets we a buzz with a mix of people heading home for the evening, and those heading out for the evening with a trip to one of the many restaurants in the quarter.

The courtyard under Remy's apartment was a quiet refuge from the busyness beyond the gate. The small paradise was filled various cascading plants and the cloying aroma of magnolia, bougainvillea and hibiscus; the sound of a small fountain bubbling away completed the picture.

After placing everything away she opened the French doors to the balcony in the bedroom as well as those in the living room that looked out over the street. It enabled a warm breeze to flit through the apartment.

She spent a few minutes acquainting herself with the kitchen, trying to find various things, as well as where the groceries that she had picked needed to go. She eventually found a kettle and decided to make a few cups of tea that she had picked up at the market and read her book for a bit before she made herself dinner.

She was about to boil the water when she got an idea. Sweet tea; oh how she was craving some good old-fashioned sweet tea like when she used to live in Mississippi.

Pulling out a pot she got to work bringing the water to a boil while she measured out some of the Bourbon Street Vanilla red rooibos tea that she had picked up. It wasn't a traditional tea to make this drink with, but the Bourbon Street had a nice smooth flavour.

She was lucky that Remy had ice in the freezer so she was able to make a faster version of the recipe.

Twenty minutes later she was seated on the balcony off the bedroom with a pitcher of sweet tea, some light nosh and her book. The view from her wrought iron chair was a pictures view of the garden courtyard. The sun was casting long shadows and had set the whole area in a twilight feel. A view that she couldn't help capturing in a photo on her phone. A few clicks later and it was posted using Instagram's antique finish for those back at the mansion to see.

True twilight had set in before long and Rogue uncurled herself from the chair.

Back in the kitchen she mixed up a nice salad of romaine lettuce, cucumber, carrot, red peppers, red onions, Parmesan cheese, mandarins and a roasted sesame dressing. It was light and refreshing and nice after the large late lunch she had had.

She was curled up on the couch later with her tea and a fresh bowl of strawberries when her phone buzzed.

_Got to sleep in __Chère?_

Rogue smiled. _**A little bit. Not as much as I could have.**_

_Wish I could have been there. You were too comfortable this morning that I didn't want to leave. Can't chat for long, going to be heading out to do some work. Just wanted to see how your day was._

_**It was nice and relaxing. Been reading and having some sweet tea for the passed few hours. Might watch a movie before turning in for the night.**_

_Sweet Tea! Oh now I really wish I was there. Arg. Have to go to work. Sweet dreams __Chère._

She was about to write something along the same lines but changed it at the last moment. _**Have fun!**_

She got an 'lol' a few seconds later.

While she still had her phone in her hand she sent off a check in to Logan before settling in with her strawberries and Tony Curtis and Cary Grant in _Operation Petticoat_. Comedy and heartthrobs was a good way to end the day.


	7. Kitty

**Author's Notes: **Hey everyone, hope your all having a nice long weekend (if you're in Canada) and the really nice warm weather. Not much has bee happening on my end of the world. That's a lie, plenty of stuff is happening in Montreal, and most of it has to do with the student protests. Just for kicks, tell me if you have herd about the protests in the news, this goes out to mainly those of you internationally. Just want to see how far this news is spreading.

On a similar note I want to thank everyone who has faved and reviewed this story; and thank you to Tashana Ambrosia for my longest review to date. Almost 20 of the people who have read this story have added it to their favourites; and about 45 people are being alerted to it's updates. Each one makes me so happy because it says I'm doing a good job and writing something that people enjoy.

Also, two counts of complete randomness:  
>1: edited chapter six a bit, not much, mainly just spelling and a few sentences, nothing important to the actual story.<br>2: If you have not seen the new British TV show 'Sherlock' go watch it :D

So here is the next chapter, enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Kitty<strong>

Rogue's head was buried under blankets and pillows. She lifted her head and looked around, squinting into the mid day light. Something had woken her up, and it took her a second to realize it had been her phone beeping that she had a message. Blurry eyed she fumbled her phone off the nightstand.

_**Morning how has your vacation been so far.**_

Kitty_._ It took Rogue a moment to decipher what the message actually said. Kitty had a bad habit of messaging in leet speak; something that Rogue hated due to the fact that it was a pain to read.

_How many times have I told you not to write in that damn hacker code with me._

Rolling over onto her back she looked at the time on the clock; 12:26pm. _Oh__ I so want more sleep._ Her phone beeped at her.

_**Jeese what took you so long to answer? I sent you that message a while ago.**_

Rogue checked the time stamp on the original; it was from about two hours ago. She sat up and propped herself up on one of the pillow and gave an exasperated sigh. She couldn't get peace while she was home, why should she get any while she was on vacation.

_That's because your text woke me up. I was happily sleeping._

_**O.O Rogue it's practically 1:30pm. What are you still doing asleep?**_

Rogue rubbed her eyes before typing back. _First off, there is a 1 hour time difference, second I was up late, only went to bed after 3am._

The moment she sent the text she could picture Kitty's expression. She counted on her fingers up to three and then her phone beeped. She shook her head as she read the text.

_**3am! Oooo where did you go last night, and obviously you had a good time I take it if you were out that late.**_

_Didn't go anywhere. Spent the night in watching movies._

It was true, it turned out that there was a Cary Grant marathon on the movie channel. She made it through _Operation Petticoat, Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, _and_ Charade; w_hen _An Affaire to Remember_ came on after that she called it a night and crawled into bed rather blurry eyed from watching all those movies.

_**What? You stayed in and watched movies? Rogue I thought you went to a party city? Why weren't you out having fun partying it up?**_

Giving another sigh she got out of bed. If she was going to have a conversation with Kitty when she first woke up, even one done over text messaging, she was going to need coffee.

She wondered into the kitchen, all the while tapping out a reply._ Because I didn't feel like it. Not everyone has partying on their mind Kitty._

Finding the coffee she began to brew a pot. Her phone beeped as the coffee was percolating.

_**Bah no excuse. Please tell me you at least went out an did stuff the past few days?**_

_*rolls eye* Of course I've gone out and done stuff. I went shopping the other day._

She realized her mistake the second after she sent the text.

The reply came a second later.

_**Oooooo! What did you get?**_

She looked at her phone and pondered a moment what to actualy write back. If she told Kitty that she had ended up getting an entire new wardrobe she would never hear the end of it; yet if she said nothing really important Kitty would only keep digging for more info.

_Nothing much, got a new drawing pad and pencils to do some sketching; tell Piotr that I'll send him some drawing in a bit, and got some gifts._

She left it open, with no mention of clothing. Give her something else to bite at.

_**Ooo. Anything interesting?**_

_Got Wanda something from the Voodoo Museum. Going to check out the flea market later this week for other gifts._

Taking her ready coffee she when and sat on the couch; snugaling in she read the new text from Kitty.

_**She'll probably get a kick out of it.  
><strong>__**So… you have been awfully quiet about the big question.**_

_Big question?_

_***rolls eye* Have you run into him?**_

Rogue stared at the screen of her phone. She was wondering how long it would take Kitty to come around to this topic. Let her spin a few seconds more.

_Him who? _Rogue smiled to herself as she sent the text.

_**Umm a certain former Acolyte of the Cajun variety?**_

_Gambit?_

_**Yeah! You know anyone else fitting that description?**_

She chuckled evilly to herself picturing Kitty on the other side of the phone in somewhat of a tizzy. It was to easy to set the petite blond off.

_Yeah I ran into him the other day._ Not a lie.

_**And?**_

_And what?_

_**What happened?**_

_Nothing much, I was at a jazz club._

Rogue could clearly picture Kitty sitting on the edge of her seat waiting for more information; it was so fun to annoy her former roommate.

_**K. Continue.**_

_Nothing much we chatted. _Still not a lie.

_**Did anything happen?**_

_We chatted over a coffee and then I went to find a place to stay. Haven't seen him much since._ Not a lie.

_**THAT'S IT!**_

By now Kitty was in full-blown gossip mode and Rogue was not feeding her the information that she wanted. It was driving her nuts.

_Yeah Kit that's it. Aside from the X-Men, I live a rather boring life if you haven't noticed over the past few years. But it is because of the X-Men that I need a vacation. One away from my normal life._

_**How is it so far?**_

_Nice. Relaxing. Quiet._

_**Ha ha.**__**So where are you staying?**_

_In the French Quarter._

_**Oooo someplace pretty? The photo you posted of the garden was beautiful.**_

_Yeah It has a nice view._

_**What's the name?**_

_Not telling. That was a condition of my vacation; I get to disappear for the time that I'm away as much as a person can disappear when I have people like Logan looking out for me. And if you try to hack/track where I am I will have John burn your entire wardrobe._

_**Geese. Fine. Just asking.**_

_And I know you. Your asking would turn to wanting to know and trying to find out._

_**:P What about for emergencies?**_

Rogue shook her head.

_Out of all of us, I'm most likely to be able to take care of myself in case of an emergency. Besides, the Professor can find me if there is a real emergency._

There was a moment before she replied.

_**Fine, but I want all the details of your trip when you get back. And I mean ALL OF THEM!**_

_Sure. When I get back._

_**Cool. Anyways I have to go. A bunch of us are going out to the mall for some shopping and then a movie. Keep in touch Rogue.**_

_Will do. Have fun._

Tossing her phone onto the coffee table she relaxed with her coffee, enjoying the feeling of the sugar and caffeine coursing through her veins.

Looking out the window she noticed a fine drizzle. She could probably wonder around not to far from the apartment for a few hours so long as the rain didn't get to bad.

After a quick change she grabbed an umbrella and headed out the door.

Standing in the archway of the courtyard she attempted to find a bookstore close by. A day of coffee and books would do her some good.

And buying a few wouldn't hurt either she though with a smile as she set out.


	8. Wanda

**Author's Notes: **Hey everyone. Hope you've all had a nice week. The weather has been fabulous here the past few days; real summer weather.

Last night we had our first storm of the season and it was a good one. The sky was green and lightning lit up the sky marvellously. We even had two tornados in the area. And by area I mean a bit of a ways off, about an hour away. An F-0, and an F-1. Pretty interesting, and by interesting I mean it's very rare that something like this happens. The closest that Montreal has come to a tornado is a water spout that happened to form on the St Laurence river in the Old Port a few years back in 2008, and a tornado in 2003 that touched down in Laval. The weather was bad enough that I cancelled going out and meeting up with friends for drinks.

All that aside though it's been a pretty calm week.

Oh, I did buy myself an iPad. I plan on using it both as an e-reader and a portable notepad. As a result I hope to be able to work on my stories more often. That being said I should be able to work on the other chapters faster.

Here is the next chapter in our lovely tale. I promise that the next one will get back to more ROMYness, and a bit more action is to come in the next few. That being said, they will have more content then ch 7 & 8, and may take some time to write. I can'r say that they will be up soon, but I will try my hardest to get them to you. Till then enjoy Wanda.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Wanda<strong>

"Hello?"

"Hey Wanda."

"Rogue. Hey how's it going? How are you enjoying you vacation so far?"

"Oh my god so much, I've been able to sleep in in the morning. Not to mention its quiet."

As if to make mention for her, Rogue heard a loud crash from the other end of the phone, followed by what sounded like Lance and Pietro arguing.

"Wish I could say the same." Wanda replied with an exasperated sigh. "Hang on a minute."

There was a moment of silence followed by screaming. It was muffled enough that Rogue couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but if she had to guess Wanda was setting the boys straight.

"There we go. Just going to get away from the idiots." Rogue heard a door close on the other end and Wanda gave a sigh. "I swear one of these days I'll either get so sick of them that I'll either kill them all, or move out. It depends on how much of a pissy mood I'm in at the time."

"You're always welcome to live at the mansion if you need to get away from them."

"You know, some days I seriously consider taking you guys up on that offer." She said with enough conviction that Rogue believed she would. "Hang on. There we go, a girl's last sanctuary, her room. So what are you calling for my dear?"

"I got you a gift and I want to send it to you, only I can't remember your zip code. I'm at the post office now and I need it for the box."

"Oh sure." She rattled of her whole address, before then asking, "Do I get to know what it is?"

Rogue chuckled. "Got you a voodoo doll, figure you can use it to scare Toad."

She heard Wanda laugh menially on the other end of the phone. "Oh that's good, maybe I'll nail it to his door as a warning."

"Thought you would." Rogue laughed.

"So how has it been?"

Rogue gave a deep sigh of contentment. "So nice and relaxing, I've gotten to sleep in for the first time in a long time. The weather the passed day and a half has been rainy but for the most part great and warm. Been out exploring the french quarter whenever I had a chance."

"And today, what are your plans for relaxation?" Wanda asked jealously.

"First off I'm going to get out of the rain." She said as she headed back out into the elements. "I had to walk across town to find a post office to send you that gift; so now I'm going to find a café to while away the afternoon in with one of the new books I bought yesterday."

"Sound's good, and tonight?"

"Not sure." Rogue thought. "Maybe I'll go and listen to some jazz if the weather gets better, otherwise I'll head back to the apartment for a night in."

"All on your own?" Wanda asked.

Rogue made a quizzical face as she walked into a café a few blocks away. "Yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh was thinking that you would spend it with the Cajun." She said matter of factly.

"You've been talking to Kitty haven't you?" Rogue said as she pulled up to the counter; covering the mouthpiece to order a french vanilla cappuccino and a vanilla scone.

"She happened to mention something when she dragged me out with some of the other girls from the mansion; I think she has to compensate for you not being here and take me out to places. Do me a favour, next time you talk to her tell her I'm fine and I don't need to be included in with the Brady Bunch." she said with and exasperated sight.

Rogue chuckled as she collected her drink and went in search of a seat in a secluded corner. "What don't like Kitty's perkiness?"

"God no. I'd tell her myself but I think the girl would die of fright." Wanda retorted. "But we're getting off topic, you spending the evening along or in the companies of your sexy stalker?"

"No I'm not spending time with Remy." Rogue said after taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh so it's Remy now is it." Wanda goaded from half a country away.

"Oh don't you start on me too; I get enough prodding by Kitty." Rogue sighed.

Wanda just laughed.

"I never poked fun at you when you started going out with John did I."

"No you didn't and I'm just having fun with you. I think it's nice that you're spending time with someone while on your vacation. No offence but as much as it's nice to get away from things I think you would have been lonely for two weeks if you didn't have someone around to hang out with. And from what I know of him from him spending time babysitting these idiots here he is a nice enough guy."

"He is; was an utter gentleman the other night when he found me at the jazz club; that is when he's not being an annoying tease" rogue replied off handed.

"Tease huh? Do tell"

"Why? So you can tell Kitty? Let me guess, she's getting you to pump me for information because I didn't give her any yesterday." Rogue said as she played with her spoon. This was something Kitty had tried in the past, she wasn't about to put it past the girl this time.

"Yeah right, like I'd feed that gossip manger anything. It's more fun to let her spin. So come on tell, I want to live vicariously through you at the moment."

"Vicariously through me. Are we forgetting who between us hasn't had skin contact for the past few years? And besides, your dating John, what do you need my encounters for."

She heard Wanda give an exasperated sigh from the other side of the phone. "Rogue just indulge me, I was in a mental institute for most of my life, father is sending me to the Professor for therapy and he thinks I should have interaction like a normal teenager, girls gossiping about boyfriends is something normal girls do."

"Since when we're we ever normal?" Rogue laughed. "You're just using that as an excuse."

"Yes, now tell me the things I want to know." she said with amused pleading.

"Not much to tell. He found me in a jazz club we talked, he made me dance, and that was it. Nothing special."

"And after you left the club?"

"I found a place to stay."

There was a long pause from the other end of the phone.

"You're staying at his place aren't you?"

Rogue nearly chocked on a bit of scone that she was eating. "How the hell do you get that?"

Wanda laughed. "Well for one thing you're not denying it. And you said apartment before, if you were staying at a hotel or hostel you would have said so."

"How do you know I'm not renting one while I'm here."

"Because it's too expensive to rent in the quarter, and Gambit is not the type of guy to let you stay in an hotel while you're in his city." she said with enough conviction that she was sure of the answer. "That and he likes you." she added with a smirk in her voice.

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?"

She chuckled. "Well he talks to John still; would ask him how you were doing. Told John to ask me to 'watch over you'."

"Ah bon." Rogue said taking a sip of her drink.

"Picking up in his french I take it."

"Hadn't really noticed." Rogue said in truth. "Enough people around here are cajun; and you hear french spoken more often then you would expect. One of the waitresses in the café across the street speaks in french most of the time."

"Cool. So what's it like." she asked.

"The apartment? It's nice. A mix of classic and contemporary, like an upscale bachelor pad."

"That's nice. But I meat living with him." she said with a chuckle.

"Oh." Rogue relied with a bit of shock and embarrassment. "Nice enough. Normal. More normal then living at the mansion. I really don't know what else to say."

"Sounds nice." she sighed. "Better then living with these idiots."

"Agreed." Rogue said with memories of her time spent in the Brotherhood house. The housemates of the boarding house where for the most part concerned with themselves; and it showed in the upkeep, or lack there of, of the house. Thing were better Wanda said since John moved in. He didn't much like mess and clutter, and tended to burn stuff he considered as such. That being said, the house was cleaner due to the others getting tired of finding their things burn to char.

"So what's John up to these days."

"Nothing much. He's being quiet. Which means he's either working on his writing or he's getting into trouble. Nothing's been burned recently so I'm guessing the first but I can't be to sure." She paused for a moment. "I should check on him at one point to be certain."

Rogue chuckled. "Probably, don't want him to get board and burn down the house."

"True. Though it's never boring for long when he gets board and starts lighting fires. It's rather interesting to watch who he'll wreak havoc on next." She started to laugh manically. "Maybe I'll help him along and hide his lighter in Toads room."

"Wanda!" Rogue laughed. "You're horrible."

"Yes I am." She replied with satisfaction. "So back to the matter at hand; if you're spending the night on your own, where is your charming Cajun?"

"Truth be told, I have no idea, don't want to know."

"Why?"

"He's working."

"Ah, so you'd rather not no so as not to be implicated."

"Exactly."

"Smart. Doubt anything will happen to that boy. To sneaky for his own good."

"You're telling me."

"Oh what did he do now?"

Rogue rolled her eyes thinking about his stunt with her cloths. "Nothing worth mentioning."

"'Kay." She didn't sound convinced. "Ah, hang on. … Yeah?"

It appeared that someone had nocked on Wanda's door.

"I'm talking to Rogue."

"Hi Rogue!" John shouted from the other end.

She chuckled. "Tell him I say hi back."

"She says hi." She relayed. "What do you want, I'm busy."

"I'm board." She heard John say. Hearing that she started to laugh.

"Oh God, you better get him out of there before he starts destroying things."

Wanda laughed. "But where would be the fun in that?"

"Wanda!"

"Oh fine." She sighed. "You're being a good influence on me Rogue. I guess I'll talk to you later. Looking forward to receiving you gift.

"Cool, take care Sugar."

"Later."

Rogue hung up and chuckled to herself.

Pulling out her book from her bag she settled in and enjoyed her relaxing afternoon.


	9. Dinner Conversation

**Author's Notes:**

Hey everyone, I'm alive! And I've finally finished writing the next chapter of the story. Something that I can tell for the reviews and messages that I have received has been long awaited. Thank you everyone for for putting up with me and patiently waiting for me to get this chapter done. I'm finally happy with how this turned out; all fifteen pages worth of it. ;P

Also I'm happy to say that I have part of the following chapter already started, and parts of later chapters as well.

So without any further ado here is the next chapter that you have all been waiting for.

And yes, Remy is back. ;P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Dinner Conversation<strong>

She was deep in thought; her iPod was playing soft trance music that helped her to achieve the level of meditation that would allow her into the jumble and confusing expanse that was her mindscape.

It was something that the Professor had taught her to do in order to manage the many voices and personalities in her crowded mind.

This morning she had woken up with the sheets tangled between her legs, her body flushed with a fine sheen of perspiration and her hormones raging.

_That's the last time I listen to The Devil's Carnival's 'In All My Dreams I Drown' before going to bed._

It wasn't exactly an unwelcome feeling she thought as she remembered the vivid imagery that had caused her to wake up as such. Strong arms, teasing fingers, and heated kisses; the weight of which she could still feel on her lips when she woke up. But damn if it wasn't frustrating. She had gotten up and taken a long shower; enjoying the feel of the water as it ran over her heated flesh, taking her time in running her hands over tense muscles in the hopes of releasing some of the tension that had built up.

Several hours later found her seated in full lotus position on the ground, her back straight as she practiced her breathing. Trance music bled together to the point where she didn't know how long she had been seated there.

Her usually chaotic mindscape was quiet and peaceful for a change; annoying psyches locked away, while others wondered here and there in the mansion of her mind; keeping themselves busy and silent for the most part. She wondered the halls checking up on them, and giving them attention here and there because they were very much like little children; annoying and bothersome when they didn't get any attention.

She had been at this for a time till she was jolted awake out of her meditation. She blinked her eyes a few times to get her bearings. There was a pillow in front of her; the object that had undoubtedly woken her from her respite. Looking up she found the culprit who had undoubtedly tossed the pillow at her.

Pulling out her headphones she chuckled at the image of Mercy standing over her with a somewhat sheepish expression on her face.

"Sorry. I figured that was the best was to get your attention." She said with sincerity. "You're not exactly wearing a lot of clothes and I wasn't sure if you were the type of person who reacts badly to people touching you while you meditate."

"Smart move." Rogue chuckled as she stretched out her legs. "I do have a tendency to, as Kitty says, 'wig out'."

Mercy giggled. "How bad?"

"Well the first and only person who ever tried to wake me up during a meditation session was Bobby; he went and shake my shoulder to get my attention and I kind of throw him across the room out of pure instinct. Needless to say no one has tried since."

"It probably doesn't help that you're not wearing a full top."

Rogue shrugged. It was a hot day so she was bumbling around in a pair of wrap-around pant and a sports bra. Standing up she stretched out her stiff muscles.

"So may I ask what you're doing here Mercy, and if you say it's to take me out shopping again the answer is no." Rogue said pointing a finger at the petite blond. "I'm not going to have to go shopping for clothes for the next two years."

"No, no shopping today. And how can you say you have enough clothes? No one ever has enough clothes." She laughed at the expression on Rogue's face. "No I'm here to pick you up. The boys are on their way home and we're all having dinner at the main house before going out for some fun tonight."

"A successful business transaction I take it." Rogue smiled.

"Oui, that it was indeed."

"Well I guess I should say that I'm happy for them." Rogue thought for a moment. "Is it actually alright to say that when I know that they have obviously just ripped some people off?"

Mercy laughed. "Oh hon, you might want to check your morals at the door tonight. And yeah you should be fine; just think of it like any business transaction."

"Right." _It's like being back in the Brotherhood house, if you don't want to know, don't ask._

Gathering up the cushions that she had been sitting on, she took a look at the clock. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon. It was later then she expected.

"So who's going to be at dinner tonight?"

"Everyone." She said. "Well, everyone that counts that is." She added flopping down on the sofa.

"You, me, Henry, Remy, Jean-Luc, Tante Mattie, Emil, Etienne, Theoron."

"Ah 'kay. What should I look forward to? Formal? Dressed down?" Rogue headed off to the bedroom.

Mercy shrugged. "It's kinda' a family thing; not formal, but Mattie has always asked to boys to not look like slobs, and they tend to dress well enough; casual but nice. But I have it on good authority that we're going to a small bar afterwards to play some pool."

Rogue peered back around the doorframe. "How much of a girl have I turned into if I can't think of what I want to wear?" she asked scrunching up her face before disappearing back into the room.

"Happens to me all the time." Mercy answered. "If your trying to make a good impression on Jean-Luc I don't think you need to worry."

"Screw Jean-Luc, he's seen me in ripped jeans and gothic makeup while saving his ass; no I want to make a nice impression on Remy's aunt."

"Tante Mattie? Oh she'll like you hon." Mercy smiled as she followed Rogue into the bedroom where she found Rogue standing in front of the closet with some of her clothes.

"So what were you thinking?" she asked looking at the selection of clothes, most of which she had purchased for Rogue.

Rogue ran a hand through her hair with a slightly frustrated sigh. "Well I was originally thinking a dress, you know something feminine; but then you mentioned going out to play pool, and I'm guessing it's not exactly a squeaky clean place."

Mercy laughed. "Not exactly. More like little dive that Remy and Henri go to often to play. It's dark and seedy, and Remy will probably be driving his bike."

"And not someplace to be wearing a dress while playing pool." Rogue tilted her head back and let out a groan of frustration. "I swear I was never this much of a girl. I would wear whatever I wanted, and not care what others thought. When did I become such a girl?"

"I have an idea. Wear a dress to dinner and then change into something more bar appropriate."

Rogue's head snapped back up and looked at the clothes. "That could work."

She began flipping through the clothes to decide what to wear. Eventually a smile creped across her face as she pulled out some clothes and laid them across the bed.

Mercy smiled and pointed to the pants Rogue had laid out. "For Remy?" she asked with a sly look.

"Maybe." She smiled back.

Mercy giggled. "I'm seeing a theme here." She said making a motion with her hand to the various garment.

Rogue grinned back. "Yeah, little something new."

"We should start with your hair, let me see if I can find some pictures to follow; you will look great with some victory rolls."

* * *

><p>A few hours later found Mercy and Rogue getting out of the car in front of the LeBeau estate.<p>

Rogue stared slightly slack jawed at the image in front of her. The only thing she could compare and describe the building in front of her was the image of the plantation house in _Interview with the Vampire;_ and then times that by about three. To say that it was palatial was doing it an injustice.

"You live here?" she said as they climbed the step.

Mercy smiled and nodded heading for the door.

"This place is magnificent."

"Agreed; and to think before the 1940s it was only three floors; you can't even tell that the top floor was built later, they paid close attention to detail in the construction."

It was true; just looking at the house she would have bet even money that it had been built as such; then again, four floor on a plantation house of that era was unheard of, even ones with three were rare.

Even in the dim light of the swamp the white washed walls of the exterior gleamed in the late afternoon light. Cypress trees covered in hanging Spanish moss and willows surrounded the property and ran along the long serpentine drive, effectively hiding the plantation house of the Thieves Guild headquarters from the outside world.

The humidity pressed in on a person from all sides here in the swamp, and even in the coming gloom the home didn't look as menacing as the one belonging to the Rippers.

That had been her expectation when she heard that they were heading into the swamp. Visions surfaced of making their way through the dank in a small dingy from the March before last when she had followed Remy into the swamp in order to save his father from the rival gang.

The two-story plantation in Blood Moon Bayou was a pale shadow of its former self, and a far cry from the splendour of the building in front of her. She could still remember the look of the decaying interior if she thought about it.

Thankfully Mercy opened the door at that moment and her mind immediately forgot about the squalor that was the Ripper stronghold in favour of the beauty and majesty of the LeBeau Family estate.

The front hall was grand indeed. White plaster and Corinthian columns met rich and well-worn mahogany floors. A large sweeping staircase disappeared up to the third level and she was sure another went to the higher level as well. With a Persian rug on the floor and an ornate mirror hanging over an antique baroque wall table Rogue felt rather small in the splendour of it all.

"I seriously don't know where to look first." Rogue said turning in a slow circle to get a better sense of the place. It was epic, and this was even compared to living at Xavier's after the massive remodelling that had taken place at the end of the last summer.

Mercy laughed and was about to say something when a woman wearing a modest version of a French maid's attire came up to them.

"Madame LeBeau." She held out a small folded shift of paper to the petit blond.

"Thank you Annette." She replied taking and reading the note; the maid waited patiently for further instructions.

"Oh." Mercy said, and then proceeded to blush. "Umm Rogue, why don't you go wonder around before dinner, I'm just going to go wash up and change before dinner."

Rogue looked at her with a slightly bewildered expression. "Are you sure? Do you want me to come and help you?"

She smiled. "No need. Henri's home."

"Oh!" Rogue's smile grew, knowing full well what Mercy actually intended.

"Go ahead, have a look around; Remy's on his way, he was on a later flight." She handed her purse off to Annette before she started to climb the stairs. "If you have any questions just ask Annette, she'll point you in the right direction."

And with that she took off in search of her husband.

Rogue just shook her head and turned to the maid, who was dutifully standing there in front of her waiting.

"The washroom, could you point it out to me?"

"Oui Mademoiselle, this way." She then proceeded to show Rogue down one of the corridors that led towards the back of the house.

"Here you are; is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Umm, could you point the way to the kitchen out to me, I'll find my way there myself."

"Oui Mademoiselle, follow this corridor, hang a left at the end, take the stairs to the ground floor and then follow your nose; Madame Baptiste's cooking is the delicious aroma that will lead you there." She gave a smile and left Rogue to her own devises.

Rogue reemerged shortly after from the very lavish washroom, complete with baroque style furnishings, and headed in the direction the maid had pointed out.

Sure enough she was soon following her nose and made it safely to the source of some of the most delicious food she had ever smelled.

Rogue peered around the corner and found herself looking into a large and well stocked kitchen. A handful of people made up the kitchen staff; and all of them were taking orders from a stalwart older woman. From the onset Rogue could tell that she was pure creole Cajun, and an imposing figure at that.

"Madame Baptiste?"

The woman turned around to see who had entered her kitchen, fully expecting to give them a good talking too about bothering her while making dinner when she saw the girl that her dear Remy had spoken so often of.

"Oh my honeychil," the older woman came around the kitchen till she was standing right in front of her. She pulled Rogue into a bear hug, surprising the southern bell with both her strength and the fact that the woman took little notice of her mutation. "Will you look at you."

She held Rogue out at arms length to examine her better. "But you're too skinny; aren't they feeding you at that fancy school of yours?"

She didn't give Rogue time to answer before pulling her towards the counter and sitting her down in one of the bar chairs there. She then went over to one of the baskets and pulled out a buttermilk biscuit, and returned with it on a small plate with a dollop of butter.

"There, something to tide you over till dinner is ready."

Rogue chuckled at the good-natured actions of the matronly woman. "It all smells amazing Madame Baptiste."

And it truly did. Sausage, shrimp, chicken, peppers; Rogue was in soul food heaven.

"Tante, you call me Tante honeychil, now eat up." She said going over to one of the pots and stirred its contents.

Rogue smiled. "Tante, the reason I came in here was not to snag some of your delicious cooking, mouth watering as it may be; I came to give you this."

Standing up Rogue rummaged in he messenger bag that she propped on the stool and pulled out a mason jar filled with chicory tea. She handed the jar over to the woman who was looking at her with endearment in her eyes.

"Well aren't you the sweetest thing, my favorite." She smiled a huge smile at the young mutant standing in front of her. "I'll have to make you a cup after dinner."

"What's this I hear, you going to make something for Rogue? What about for poor Remy?"

Rogue turned around and smiled as she saw Remy walk into the room.

"There are my two favorite girls." He came and gave Mattie a kiss on the check to which she blushed and shooed him away.

He then turned his eyes to the girl that had been on his mind since the moment he had to leave her asleep in his bed a few short days ago. Gathering her up he twirled the both of them around. Rogue giggled as he sat her back down on her feet.

"Well look at you; this is something new." Holding her by the hand he twirled her around on the spot so as to get a better look at the dress she was sporting. The skirt twirled out around her with a swish of the red petticoat underneath. She was pure rockabilly from her partial up-do with side-parted victory rolls, to her 'Daisy Swing Dance' dress in black with cherries, down to her vintage styled Genie Heels in red leather. She even wore a lace styled motorcycle jacket over it and a pair of delicate lace gloves to complete the look. She looked sweet and yet still had an edge to her.

"I'm wondering if I should style my hair into a pompadour now." He said smiling down at her.

Rogue just smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. "You'd make a good greaser I think."

"Missed me?" he asked as she wondered back to sit down at the counter.

"Missed your cooking; though you were right, Mattie's cooking is delicious if this biscuit is any indication."

"Ooo. Biscuit." He said noticing the biscuit Mattie had given to Rogue.

"Ah, that's not for you; you'll spoil your dinner." She said smacking his hand away from the biscuit.

"Spoil my dinner, what about her?" he asked indignantly, Rogue just laughed at the picture that was playing out in front of her.

"The poor girl is nothing but skin and bones. That fancy school of her's obviously don't know how to make a good meal."

"Mattie, compared to you no one knows how to make a good meal."

"He's a charmer this one." Mattie said to Rogue while pointing a spoon at Remy. "Now off with the both of you. Let this old lady get back to work if you want to eat dinner tonight."

Stuffing the last little bit of the delicious biscuit into her mouth, she gathered up her bag and followed Remy out of the kitchen. The two of them wandered down the hallway till they were out of sight from everyone else.

When he was sure no one else was around he pulled Rogue into a side room and kissed her soundly.

"Well hello." She smiled up at him. "I take it you missed me."

She expected him to make a witty comment but instead he just kissed her again.

"Yes. Yes I did." Taking her bag off her shoulder he deposited it on the floor and, picking her up twirled her around in his arms.

"Aren't we in a happy mood." She teased once he finally stopped.

"Well of course. I'm back. You have no idea how much I missed having you beside me in bed." He leaned down and placed his forehead against hers. "I wake up to an empty bed wishing you were there."

She had to giggle at that. "Remy, we've only slept together twice, once because I woke up screaming from a nightmare and the other time you had to get up early to catch a flight. You seriously couldn't have missed me that much."

"You're far better company then the lot I've had to deal with the past few days; and I was definitely not going to let one of them share my bed."

"I take it you would much rather have a girl."

"Most assuredly."

"And I forget that the consummate lover that you are is probably used to waking up with a girl in his bed."

He chuckled. "Very rarely do I wake up next to them, but then again I don't usually let them spend the night."

Rogue smiled a sweet smile. "Oh so I'm special then aren't I."

The devilish smile that Rogue associated with him crept across his face. Leaning down he placed his hands on the back of her thigh and hoisted her up till she was level with him.

"Definitely special my dear."

Hearing that made Rogue feel warm and fuzzy. A girl always wants to hear that she's special.

"So how about a tour of the place before dinner?" he asked placed her back on her feet.

"Sounds like a plan."

Wrapping his arm around her waist he lead her back out into the hallway and proceeded to show her around.

Wondering around the first floor and main floor he showed her sitting and drawing rooms, the library, and a salon. They also passed by the rooms the held the surveillance monitors and his father's office, both of which were closed.

Eventually they headed to the forth floor, Remy said that the third was mainly guestrooms and rooms dedicated to the Guild. Upon reaching the top floor he led her along till they came upon his room.

It was a rather spacious room decorated like the rest of the house in antique baroque furniture. Two doors led to what she would assume were a closet and an in suite washroom. A set of double French doors led out onto a balcony that circumvented the house, and which gave a beautiful view of the grounds.

Remy leaned against the doorjamb and watched as Rogue walk in and examined the room. After removing her bag and depositing it on the floor she walked slowly over to the French doors. He gently kicked closed his bedroom door and followed to where she stood looking out at the view of the grounds. Taking he hand he opened the doors and led her outside to better enjoy the sights.

And it was breathtaking. His room faces off the back of the house and had a beautiful view of the lawn as it slopped down to the dock and the swamp. The image was timeless, and probably looked relatively the same since the house was built.

"It's beautiful." Rogue said leading against the banister as she took in the amazing view.

"Oui, made all the more so by you Chère."

She turned and looked at him with a smirk on her face. "Making up for lost time with your compliments I take it."

He grinned. "Maybe."

He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, absently playing with a lock of her hair all the while.

"Missed me." He asked once he pulled away.

"Truthfully?" she asked. "A bit, surprisingly."

A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.

"What?"

"Nothing." He said all the while still smiling. "So how were your past few days?"

Rogue shrugged. "Relaxing. Slept in. And believe me that was probably the best part."

He chuckled imagining Rogue burring herself in his bed whiling away the day; he also pictured her naked and curled up against him but that was beside the point.

"Wondered around town a bit, did the touristy thing," she continued, a devilish grin appeared on her lips. "Got hit on by a guy in the Voodoo Museum…"

He narrowed his eyes and pinned her with his gaze.

"I kind of liked the feeling." She laughed.

"Ah oui? And…" He was jealous, she could tell, and she was enjoying it.

She shrugged a shoulder. "He was sweet."

"Et?" It was torturing him.

"Poor guy was trying hard." She said. "But I told him I was seeing someone."

Smirking he pulled her towards him by the edge of her jacket and proceeded to kiss her once again.

"Tease."

"Who me?" she laughed. "Maybe I should test it out on some other guys to see if it was just a fluke."

"It wasn't a fluke, you're beautiful." He said, "And you're not going to test your skills on anyone. You do and I'll end up having a list of guys to intimidate and cause bodily harm too."

"Jealousy is not a good colour on anyone Remy." she said with a smile, "You included."

Though she had to admit that being in this situation it did make her a bit happy. It was petty, but it was something new for her. He seemed to read her mind and smiled.

"Yeah, but secretly you like it."

"And I'm trying not to encourage your bad behaviour."

"Chère, I thought you would know by now;" He teased with a sinful smile, "I'm nothing if not a promoter of bad behaviour."

She let her eyes flick quickly over him, she knew he was; his body alone incited thoughts to make even a nun blush.

"Oh I believe it."

He just continued to smile. Taking hold of the railing, he hoped up onto the wrought iron banister and walked the length of it as if he was walking normally, and not inch wide wrote iron railing before seating himself on it, his back leaning against one of the colonnades that supported the roof.

"Show off." She said shaking her head.

He chuckled. "Bet you're just as skilled though Chère"

"Yeah, not in heels thought."

"So take them off."

Giving a shrug she gently slipped off her shoes before taking hold of the bar. With slow and deliberate movements, because she knew he was watching, she pulled herself up onto the bar. She had nowhere near his natural agility but still was able to walk across the narrow metal with little effort. Slowly, dipping her foot off the side she made it across the balcony without much effort, and without falling to come and stand in front of where he was seated. Leaning over she placed her palms on the railing, supporting her body weight, and swung her legs down to sit with her legs on either side of the bar.

"Very nice." He said appraising her. She wasn't at a thief's level of practice but all the same, she had done very well; and well, he just enjoyed watching the view. "Next time try it without holding your arms out."

"Yeah well not all of us have your natural grace and agility." She remarked with a mock glare. "Besides, it's easier to do so when you're not wearing a dress with a petticoat. It would be easier if I was wearing my new uniform."

He got an amused quizzical look on his face. "New uniform?"

"Oh that's right, you haven't seen my new one." She smiled a cheeky smile. "It's practical. Black leather, really soft leather too, but it's stronger the Kevlar; or so I'm told. Mine has detachable gloves; they go up to my elbow, and they fit like a second skin. The stitching on it is one of my favourite colors."

"Deep emerald green if I remember." He said lazily. His mind was busy imagining what she was describing.

"That's right; and the belt is the X-Men's symbol in black chrome; the same with the communication button that is located on the collar."

She was enjoying watching him; she knew he was picturing exactly what it looked like, and what it would look like on her. With a sweet and mischievous smile she leaned forward. "It has a detachable cowl hood, and the zipper goes from here…" she pointed to the hollow at the base of her neck and dragged it slowly over her chest, across her stomach to just below her belly button. "…to here."

He let a low growl escape his throat as he watched her trace the path down her body. He had been sitting with his back against the pillar and one foot resting on the railing. Now he dropped it down on the other side and pulled her till she was leaning against him. He then proceeded to run his hands up her waist and back and pulling her in close for a deep kiss.

"You're a tease you know that." He said as his thumb ran gentle circles over her neck.

"So I've been told." Leaning back in she wrapped her harms around his neck and kissed him some more.

"Oy check out the lovebirds"

Both Rogue and Remy looked down to see three guys striding over the lawn towards the house.

"Stop sucking face with your girl and bring her down here to introduce her to use." One of them yelled up at them.

"Like she wants to meet a bunch couyon come vous." Remy yelled back at them with a laugh.

"Your cousins I take it?" Rogue asked.

"Oui. Son des fou." He replied with a grin. "I'll keep you safe from their idiocy up here if you want."

"Nah, I'll be sociable."

"Oy, slow pokes, you coming or what?" Another shouted up.

"I'll come down there and wring your neck Emil if you don't shut it."

Emil, the redhead of the bunch raised his arms and made a 'bring it on motion'. To which Remy playfully flipped him off.

He turned back to Rogue. "Did you want to take the fast route down?"

"What's the fast route?" she asked.

"Climb down the tree." He answered with a nod at the Cyprus tree right beside him."

"Yeah, no. Not in this dress." she said. "Not unless you want them to get a good view up my skirt."

"You're right." He said examining the edge of her dress. "Allow me to beat the rowdy lot of them into submission; they should be better company by the time you get down there."

And with that he hopped back up onto the bar gracefully and launched himself off into the tree. Rogue just shook her head and after putting her shoes back on, made her way down through the house at an unhurried pace.

By the time she made it out the back of the house, with a little direction from a maid who was cleaning a side table on the second floor, she found Gambit and his three cousins talking on the back porch.

"Ah, la vois là." One of them said as she made her way towards them.

"Delicate little thing aren't you." Another asked as she went to stand by Remy.

"Pardon?"

"Didn't feel like climbing down with lover boy."

She smiled. "Didn't feel like having to watch Remy beat you for ogling me in a dress."

"She's never met you and she knows you guys well enough already." Remy teased.

"And delicate ain't exactly a word that most people would use to describe me." She grinned back at them. "Didn't he tell you about the time I knocked him out?'

"You were under Mesmero's control Chère." Remy pointed out.

"Still counts Sugar." she laughed. "He may have been controlling my mind but trouncing you was still all me."

He opened his mouth to retort, but she cut in before he could say something. "My power's your power and I can take more than one."

"I can't argue with that." he said with a shrug.

She just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oy watch it." He chuckled at her.

"So you going to introduce us or not?" One of the guys said. "Or you just going to moon over each other."

Remy proceeded to punch the younger man in the arm. "Manners you impatient little boy."

"Mine? What about yours?" he piped back.

"Boys, play nice or I'll call Tante Mattie out here to deal with the lot of you." Rogue said with an amused expression on her face. She laughed at their reaction; which is to say that all four of them blanched.

"That's playing dirty Chère." Remy said giving her a look of amusement. "Bien, these are my cousins, you can refer to them as fou if you like. Theoron's the quiet one who has yet to say a thing." he pointed to a tall gentleman with dark hair.

"His brother, Etienne, is the impatient one." He said pointing to the youngest of the three.

"And the redhead who can't seem to sit still is Emil, but we all just call him Lapin as I already told you." He said pointing to the tall lanky ginger that indeed had been fidgeting the past while."

"Nice to meet you." Rogue said and shook each of their hands in turn.

"Now I totally see why this idiot's been pining over you the past few days." Leaning down he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her glove. "If you ever get tired of this one I'm sure I can step in and take over."

"Oy, paws off." Remy said shooing his cousin away.

"Or what, you'll beat me up for kissing your girl." Emil teased.

"Don't have to." He said with a smile. "She'll do it for me."

"You have a thing for redheads don't you Sugar." She said with a smile turning to Gambit beside her.

"Pardon?"

"John, him; you making a collection of energetic redheads?" she teased.

One of his cousins laughed. "She's funny." Etienne said.

"Never really had a preference Chère." Gambit said coming to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, and proceeds to kiss the base of her neck. "Though, I'm finding myself being swayed by a feisty brunet."

"Flatterer." She commented. "Has he always been like this, or is he only this bad with me?"

"Just with you." Emil laughed. "But then you don't seem to be swallowing his bullshit so he's been laying it on a little thick."

"It's not bullshit." Gambit said rolling his eyes. "It's called wooing; charm, sophistication…"

"And ego, and bullshits." Rogue cut in with a smile and turned back to his cousin. "Yes, we've had this conversation already."

No one really had time to make a retort because at that moment they were called into dinner by one of the maids.

Heading towards the dining room they met up with Mercy and Remy's brother Henry.

"So this is the girl that has my brother acting like a love sick idiot." He said extending his hand out to Rogue.

"Apparently so." She smiled accepting his hand.

Henri was a gentleman about half a head shorter than his brother, and she could see the family resemblance with his father. He a portly man, but Rogue wouldn't say fat. He was stocky and muscular, similar to Victorian era boxers. Aside from the mustache that he had grown he was bald.

Off to the side Mercy stood there with a shit-eating grin on her face. Rogue just smiled back and lightly shook her head, knowing full well why she was smiling so much.

"Any one seen Jean-Luc?" Theoron asked once everyone started heading towards the dining room.

"Non, mais he's probably locked away in his office like usual." Henri said off-handedly. "Tente Mattie is probably dragging him out as we speak."

Sure enough, as they neared the dining hall they found him being prodded along my Tante Mattie.

"Don't care if you have a tone of paperwork, everything will still be there once you've eaten a good meal for once today. We're having a family dinner and you're going to eat and be nice and sociable and not be the cantankerous arse that you are." She said shoving him forward.

"Alright woman, just stop shoving me." He said indignantly.

Rogue had a surprise expression on her face, one that was working its way into a giggle. Apparently Mattie was every bit the determined woman that everyone made her out to be. From what little she understood about the Guild and the fact that Jean-Luc was the Patriarch of the organization she didn't think that anyone would be willing to go against his wishes, let alone order and push him around as if he was a ten year old boy.

"See." Henri teased. "Told you so."

Turning Jean-Luc greeted his family and Rogue. He looked pretty much the same since the first time she saw him; maybe a few more age lines if you looked close but that was about it.

Coming closer he extended his hand out towards her. "It's nice to see you again my dear. I don't believe I thanked you and your family last time." he said with a tight smile. Ten to one someone, read Mattie and Remy, was telling him to be polite.

"No you didn't, but Remy did so it's alright." Rogue replied with a rather smug expression.

She didn't like Jean-Luc, he was no better than Mystique, worse in some ways; Mystique loved Rogue in her weird and twisted way and believed she was doing the right thing in the long run. Jean-Luc on the other hand tended to use his family as he saw fit for the betterment of the guild. Thankfully somehow both Remy and Henri had grown up to be well rounded and respectful men; Tente Mattie, Rogue believed, most likely had a heavy hand in this.

"Mattie says that she's made a feast and that she doesn't want it getting cold, so we best go in before she brains the lot of us with a spoon." With that he turned and walked into the dining room, the rest of their motley group following behind.

Mattie was already hard at work ladling out a delicious smelling soup into the bowls around the table. Biscuits and other small food were laid out, but Rogue was sure from what she saw in the kitchen earlier that there was a lot more to come.

Pulling out her chair for her, Gambit sat her down to his right; between himself and Emil on her right. To his left sat his father at the head of the table, with Henri, Mercy, Etienne, and Theoron on the opposite side. Tante Mattie, after passing out the soup, sat at the foot of the table.

After placing her napkin on her lap Rogue waited to see what everyone else did. They were Catholic after all. Did they say grace? They didn't at the mansion; hell it was very much a free for all back home.

As it turned out they didn't, they just waited for everyone to be seated before they started passing around the delicious biscuits that Rogue had sampled before, and began to heartily dig in to the meal before them.

The soup, Rogue discovered was a heavenly roasted garlic soup. With a dollop of cream fresh and a buttermilk biscuit Rogue was set. It was so good that she would have been more then happy if it had been the only course of the evening.

Conversations started up practically the moment everyone sat down. Some of it was about how the job went, while other bits where more mundane, random things, like what the girls had been up to over the past few days; Henri didn't even bat an eye that Mercy had been out shopping.

"So Rogue, Remy mentioned that you recently graduated from high school." Jean-Luc said after a time. "I believe congratulations are in order."

"Thank you." She said with a smile. "I was so happy to have that chapter of my life over with. Convocation was last week, I only went because Kitty made me. I would have graduated at the end of the last school year but unfortunately I missed too many school days, and the school didn't think I had completed enough to qualify even though I had completed the work for my classes."

"How does someone miss too many days of school to not graduate?" Etienne asked.

"Asks the boy who has never spent a day in a conventional school." Henry mocked popping a pit of soup soaked biscuit into his mouth.

"I had to take a few months off for medical reasons." She answered with a flippant motion. "Then there was the saving the world thing"

"Saving the world?" he asked with a queer look on his face.

Emil sitting beside her gave a sigh. "Do you ever pay attention to anything other then chasing girls in your spare time?"

"Too busy chasing girls to notice the Apocalypse?" Rogue grinned.

"Oh you mean the pyramids thing?"

Remy groaned. "Yes the pyramids; and you can thank Rogue for not having alligator skin or something."

"You're telling me that was you?" Theoron asked.

"Well it wasn't just me." Rogue said with a shrug. "In fact I was one of the last people to the party, and took advantage of a weak moment on his part. But then again that was the only way we were going to win."

"So you're saying you're the one who stopped the big bad?" Henry asked with a smile; not condescending, more just amused.

"Yeah, go figure. Like my little brother Kurt said after we all survived 'You did it Rogue. The girl who shut herself off from the world just saved it.'" She gave a shrug.

"What a selfless act child." Mattie said. "You could have been killed."

"I guess it's just what I do; it's what we all do, the X-Men that is. I mean someone had to do it; we had to try. I hate to think of what would have happened if we hadn't managed to stop him."

"A toast." Emil said raising his glass, a huge goofy smile on his face. "To the girl who managed to keep us all alive and not under the oppression of a mega-maniacal overload."

She had to laugh at that one. "Well it was the least I could do for setting the bastard free in the first place."

"No one blames you for that Chère." Remy said leaning over and kissing her temple. "We all had a hand in that if you remember."

They all raised their glasses and toasted to better days and a happier future.

"With all that behind you, do you have any plans now that you're done high school, plans for the future?" Jean-Luc asked.

Rogue could see where this was going, but she decided to play it cool. "I figured I would probably take some classes at New York University in Manhattan to work towards a Bachelor's Degree; I already started taking classes since I finished my high school ones before the Christmas holidays."

"Any plans for a career?" he inquired; his eyes had a certain gleam in them, as if he was appraising a precious item.

"Jean-Luc." Remy said shooting a look at his father. So much for being on one's best behavior.

"It's alright Remy." Setting aside her spoon she turned her head to face the guild patriarch. "Mr. LeBeau, please let me make myself clear; I have no interest in being a thief, no matter how suited my mutation is.

"What most people don't know about my mutation is that though yes I can take information from people, it causes them great pain, and if I hold on to long I can kill them; suck the very life out of them and leave them with nothing. My momma may be an international terrorist, raised me and trained me; but where she has little care for the well-being of others, I do."

"We are not assassins my dear, no one is asking you to kill people."

"Yes, but I'd rather not loose what little bit of sanity I have left in the process." She waited a second, and she could tell that he didn't know what she was talking about; aside from Remy and Mercy everyone else had the same expression on their face. "What most people don't know, let alone understand is that with my powers, when I absorbed a person I absorb a little bit of them; and they stay with me, in my head, forever.

"They don't go away, and they are a constant reminder of all the people I have touched since my powers manifested. They talk a lot; to the point where I can't here myself think; where I can't even concentrate on what I'm doing. Most of them are scared, and some of them can be mean and violent.

"I have a friend back home, Wanda, she spent most of her life in a mental asylum; when she asked me what it was like and I told her she said she didn't know how I stayed sane. I'm not.

"There are days when I wake up and I have moments when I'm not sure who I am. The medical reasons I missed school for, aside from the first encounter with Apocalypse, was due to the fact that the voices in my head rebelled so much that I actually lost control and they took over. It nearly killed me; I nearly killed a lot of the people I care about. It left me physically, emotional and psychologically drained to the point were I was hospitalized for a few months. I live everyday with the constant fear that it will happen again, and that if it does I will lose myself completely.

"So you will have to excuse me for not jumping at a job offer."

Everyone around the table was silent. Remy had placed a hand on her knee under the table and was shooting his father a scathing glare as most of the rest of the table looked uncomfortable and embarrassed.

With that she turned back to the small portion of soup left in her bowl. Lapping it up on a biscuit she popped it in her mouth with a small appreciative moan.

"Tante Mattie your cooking is absolutely divine; if the rest of the meal is half as good as this soup you will have to roll me out of my chair." She said smiling at the older woman.

"Well then we should test that theory Honeychil; let me clear away these bowls and we can get started on the dinner I made."

"Here let me help you with that." Rogue said making to help clear the table for the motherly figure.

"Thank you Honeychil, but you sit right there, you're a guest; I'll not have you making a mess of that pretty dress." With that she continued walking around the table and collecting the soup bowls. When she got behind Jean-Luc she clapped him upside of the head with her hand.

"Ah …" he was about to say something but she cut him off.

"You know exactly what that was for so shut it."

Everyone at the table stifled their laughter and busied him or herself with what was in front of them.

At this rate, Rogue thought, it's going to be a fun evening.

* * *

><p>French Translation:<p>

Et? – And?

couyon come vous – fools like you

Son des fou – They're crazy

la vois là – there she is

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone!


End file.
